Example
an increase (noun)
The neutral partner of a rise. Use 'an increase in' for the thing and 'an increase of' for the amount.
There was an increase of 15% in the number of international students.
Written by Fizza Butool Zaidi and Ali Zaidi
12 alternatives
The neutral partner of a rise. Use 'an increase in' for the thing and 'an increase of' for the amount.
There was an increase of 15% in the number of international students.
Don't swap blindly: 'An increase of sales' is wrong; it is 'an increase in sales'.
Natural with economies, populations, markets and output. Usually uncountable.
The tourism sector showed strong growth in the second half of the period.
Don't swap blindly: Usually no article: 'growth in exports', not 'a growth in exports'.
The overall direction across several points, not one change.
Spending on healthcare followed an upward trend throughout the period.
Don't swap blindly: Not for a single jump between two years.
A sudden, large rise.
A surge in demand in 2021 pushed prices to their highest level on the chart.
A sudden rise from one point to the next.
There was a jump of 15 percentage points between 2008 and 2009.
A steady rise, often over a long period.
The graph shows a slow but steady climb in average house prices.
An improvement after a weak period, typical of economic and business data.
An upturn in tourism followed the reopening of the airport in 2016.
Don't swap blindly: It implies things got better after being bad, so it needs an earlier low point.
A period of rapid growth in activity, usually economic.
The construction boom of the early 2000s doubled the number of new homes built each year.
Don't swap blindly: Describes a period of activity, not a single figure.
Growth in size, area or scope.
The expansion of the cycle network added 120 kilometres of lanes.
An increase in value, points or share, often in markets or votes.
The party recorded a gain of eight seats between the two elections.
A rise back towards an earlier level after a fall.
Sales made a full recovery by 2018, returning to their 2012 level.
Don't swap blindly: Only after a fall.
A rise in a price, tax or fee, usually unwelcome. Journalistic.
The latest bus fare hike annoyed a lot of commuters.
Don't swap blindly: Too informal for Academic Task 1; use 'a rise in fares'.
Paraphrasing
Band tip: the public IELTS Writing band descriptors for Lexical Resource describe Band 7 as using “less common lexical items” with “some awareness of style and collocation”. A synonym that changes your meaning or breaks a collocation works against you, so choose the word that fits the sentence, not the rarest one you know.
In context
Overall, the period saw strong growth in electric car registrations. After a slow climb from 5,000 to 18,000 between 2014 and 2019, there was a surge in 2020, when registrations almost tripled to 52,000. This upward trend continued until the end of the period, although the annual gain became smaller after 2022.
Both, with different meanings. 'A rise in sales' names the thing that rose. 'A rise of 10%' gives the amount. You can combine them: 'a rise of 10% in sales'.
Usually not. Growth is normally uncountable: 'growth in exports', 'rapid growth'. 'A growth' sounds wrong to most readers in a Task 1 report.
Mixing verb and noun patterns shows grammatical range and lets you avoid repeating the same verb. It also helps you add detail neatly: 'a sharp rise of 20% in 2015'.
They do different jobs. An upward trend is the overall direction over several points, ideal for the overview. A rise is one change you can date and measure.
Practise
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