Charts: Describing Trends Using Present Perfect

English Focus: Using Past Simple and Present Perfect to describe chart trends.
Student Level: Pre-Intermediate / Intermediate
ESL Worksheet Download: Describing-Charts-Present-Perfect.doc

Web Version of ESL Worksheet

VerbExample
↑ increase ↑ grow(/grew/grown)

 ↑ rise(/rose/risen)

Sales (have) increased.(use have (pres. perfect) when the trend continues to the present.)

Sales have increased from 1995 to 2005.

(use past simple for trends that don't continue to the present).

Sales (have) increased by [25% / $5,000].

 → stay the same
 ↓ decrease ↓ decline

 ↓ fall(/fell/fallen)

Sales have increased by 25% since 1995.
(use present perfect and since [+ time] for trends continuing from the past to the present.)

Sales increased from $150,000 in 1995 to $250,000 in 2010. (past simple)

Sales have increased from $150,000 in 1995 to $300,000 this year.

Make sentences based on the following chart:
Sample chart for ESL worksheet

  • Sales in Europe from 2005 to 2010.
  • Sales in Asia by from 1995 to 2005.
  • Sales in Africa since 1995.
  • Sales in Europe from in 2000 to this year.
Possible Answers
  • ... increased/grew/rose
  • ... decreased/declined/fell by $5,000....
  • ... have stayed the same...
  • ... have increased/grown/risen from $15,000 to $25,000 this year.

Make your own Sentences

(You can also write your answers in the comment section below.)

  • My country’s population  .
  • The number of in my city .

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- ESL worksheet created by Matthew Barton of Englishcurrent.com

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5 comments on “Charts: Describing Trends Using Present Perfect

  1. Dmitry (Posted on 6-26-2012 at 19:55) Reply

    it is good!

  2. snuks (Posted on 9-7-2012 at 18:09) Reply

    Great exercise

  3. ADAM (Posted on 8-28-2019 at 07:46) Reply

    VERY NICE

  4. Amanda (Posted on 2-14-2024 at 00:21) Reply

    Surely it’s ‘have risen’ in the last answer? Not have rose? To rise/rose/risen

    1. MB (Posted on 2-14-2024 at 07:44) Reply

      Good catch. Thanks

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