I was sitting in a cramped exam center last Tuesday, watching a student stare at a bar chart as if it were written in ancient hieroglyphics. He knew the data, but his writing was a repetitive, painful loop of “a lot of people” and “some people.” It’s the same thing I see every single year: students think they need a thesaurus full of obscure academic jargon to succeed, but they actually fail because they don’t know how to describe quantities and proportions with any real precision. They are trying to build a house with blunt tools, and in a high-stakes exam, that lack of accuracy is exactly what drains your marks before you’ve even finished the first paragraph.
I’m not here to give you a list of fancy synonyms that you’ll never actually use correctly under pressure. My approach is much more practical. I am going to show you how to move past the “a lot” trap and master the specific, repeatable structures that examiners actually look for. We are going to focus on habit-forming accuracy—the kind of precise language that turns a mediocre report into a high-scoring one. No fluff, no academic nonsense, just the exact tools you need to stop losing marks on the simple things.
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Mistaking Mathematical Terminology for Amounts
I see this mistake in almost every writing task I grade: students treat an English essay like a math worksheet. They reach for mathematical terminology for amounts—words like “plus,” “minus,” or “equals”—as if they are solving an equation rather than describing a trend. If you write, “The number of students increased by plus five percent,” you haven’t just made a small slip; you’ve signaled to the examiner that you don’t understand how to use English for nuance.
Instead of treating data like a calculation, you must focus on describing parts of a whole using actual linguistic structures. You aren’t just adding numbers; you are communicating a relationship between variables. When you rely on “plus” or “divided by,” you lose the ability to use sophisticated vocabulary for relative size. If you want to move beyond a Band 5, stop thinking like a calculator and start thinking like a writer. Use “an increase of,” “a reduction in,” or “a significant proportion of” to show the examiner you have mastered the language, not just the arithmetic.
The Pitfall of Poor Vocabulary for Relative Size
Once you have moved past the confusion between numbers and amounts, we need to address how you actually scale your descriptions. I see it in almost every writing exam: a student will describe a massive shift in data by simply saying it was “big” or “large.” This is where you bleed marks. When you are describing parts of a whole, “big” is functionally useless to an examiner. It lacks the nuance required for high-level academic English.
Instead of relying on these blunt instruments, you must master vocabulary for relative size that actually conveys scale. If a segment of a pie chart occupies nearly half the space, don’t just call it a “large part.” Use terms like a substantial proportion or a significant majority. If it is smaller, perhaps it is a marginal fraction. The goal isn’t just to be understood; it is to demonstrate that you can use precise language to show the difference between something that is merely “more” and something that is overwhelmingly dominant. Stop being vague; precision is your best friend here.
Five Ways to Stop Losing Marks on Quantities
- Stop leaning on “a lot of” for every single sentence. In an exam, “a lot” is a placeholder for a student who hasn’t thought about their vocabulary. If you mean a significant majority, say “a vast majority.” If you mean a large number, use “a substantial amount.” Precision is what earns the marks.
- Watch your countable and uncountable nouns like a hawk. I see this on my error list constantly: students writing “many researches” or “a great number of advice.” You cannot use “many” with something you cannot count. Use “much” or “a great deal of” for the uncountable stuff, or you’ll bleed points in the grammar section.
- Use “proportion” and “percentage” correctly. A “proportion” is a part of a whole, while a “percentage” is a specific number followed by the % symbol. If the prompt asks you to describe a trend, don’t just throw numbers at the page; describe the ratio between the groups.
- Vary your adverbs to show scale. If you only use “slightly” and “significantly,” your writing becomes predictable and flat. Try “marginally,” “substantially,” or “negligibly.” These small shifts in vocabulary signal to the examiner that you actually have control over the language.
- Avoid the “all or nothing” trap. Students often try to use absolute terms like “all,” “every,” or “none” to make a point stronger, but in exam English, these are rarely accurate. Use hedging language like “the vast majority,” “a considerable portion,” or “a minority of” to sound more academic and precise.
Stop Guessing and Start Being Precise
If you take nothing else away from this lesson, remember this: precision is the difference between a passing grade and a high score. We have looked at how using mathematical terms incorrectly can confuse your reader, and how relying on vague descriptors for size makes your writing feel amateurish. You cannot simply throw “a lot” or “a big part” at a prompt and hope for the best. To secure those marks, you must move away from these lazy habits and start selecting words that reflect the actual scale of what you are describing. It is about moving from generalities to specific, academic accuracy.
I know that shifting your vocabulary feels daunting, especially when you have spent years using the same handful of words. But remember, exam English is not about being fancy; it is about being accurate. Every time you catch yourself reaching for a generic term and replace it with something more precise, you are building the muscle memory required for success. Don’t let these small, avoidable errors stand between you and the results you deserve. You have the tools; now, it is simply a matter of applying them with intention.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I use "a significant proportion" instead of "a lot," am I actually meeting the examiner's criteria for lexical resource?
Yes, you are—but only if you use it correctly. Swapping “a lot” for “a significant proportion” is a step toward the lexical resource marks you’re chasing, because it moves you away from conversational English and into academic register. However, don’t just swap words blindly. If the data shows a tiny 5% increase, calling it “significant” is a factual error that will tank your task achievement. Precision is what earns the marks, not just fancy vocabulary.
How do I avoid the trap of repeating the same three adjectives when describing different parts of a pie chart?
Stop leaning on “large,” “small,” and “medium.” If I see those three words used for every slice of a pie chart, I know the student is playing it safe, and playing it safe costs marks. Instead, look at the scale. Is the slice “substantial” or “vast”? Is it “marginal” or “negligible”? You must match your vocabulary to the actual proportion. Precision is what moves you from a Band 6 to a Band 8.
Is it better to be mathematically precise with exact percentages, or should I focus more on using varied language to describe the trends?
If you try to list every single percentage from the chart, you’ll run out of time and lose your way. I’ve seen students drown in numbers, forgetting they are writing an analysis, not a math test. Use the exact figures to anchor your points, yes, but the marks are in the description. Use the data to support your trends, not to replace your vocabulary. Precision provides the evidence; varied language provides the score.
