“Corporate Social Responsibility Spending (2000-2023)” is a keyword that combines several important concepts:

• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): This refers to a company’s commitment to act ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of its employees, their families, the local community, and society at large.
• Spending: This points to the financial resources companies dedicate to CSR initiatives.
• 2000-2023: This timeframe suggests analyzing trends and changes in CSR spending over a specific period.

This keyword often appears in IELTS Writing Task 1, where you might be asked to describe a graph, chart, or table illustrating data related to CSR spending over the past two decades.

Sample IELTS Writing Task 1 Question:

You should spend 20 minutes on this task.

The chart below shows the global corporate social responsibility spending from 2000 to 2020, with a projection to 2023.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Global Corporate Social Responsibility Spending (2000-2023)

Analyzing the Task

This task requires you to:

• Identify the type of visual: In this case, it’s a chart depicting trends over time.
• Highlight key trends: Pinpoint significant increases, decreases, fluctuations, or patterns in CSR spending.
• Make comparisons: Compare CSR spending across different years or periods within the given timeframe.
• Summarize concisely: Present the information clearly and accurately within the required word limit (at least 150 words).

Model Answer:

The chart illustrates the global trend in corporate social responsibility spending over a 23-year period, from 2000 to 2023.

At the start of the millennium, global CSR spending stood at approximately $10 billion. This figure witnessed a gradual yet steady increase, reaching around $20 billion by 2010. The subsequent decade, however, witnessed a dramatic surge in spending, more than doubling to an estimated $45 billion by 2020.

Projections for the next three years indicate a continued upward trajectory, with global CSR spending expected to reach $60 billion by 2023. This suggests a growing awareness and commitment among corporations towards social responsibility initiatives.

Overall, the chart depicts a clear upward trend in global CSR spending. While the early years of the 21st century saw relatively slow growth, the last decade has witnessed a significant acceleration in investment, a trend predicted to continue into the foreseeable future. (Word count: 151)

Key Points for Writing About Trends

• Use appropriate verbs and adverbs: When describing trends, employ verbs like “increase,” “decrease,” “fluctuate,” “peak,” “decline,” etc. Use adverbs like “steadily,” “gradually,” “sharply,” “dramatically,” etc., to modify verbs and provide more detail about the trend.
• Focus on significant changes: Avoid mentioning every minor fluctuation. Instead, highlight the most notable changes and trends.
• Use data effectively: Support your descriptions with specific data points from the chart or graph.
• Compare and contrast: Draw comparisons between different periods or categories within the data.

Vocabulary Builder

• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): [noun] A company’s commitment to ethical behavior and contributing to societal well-being.
• Surge: [noun/verb] A sudden and significant increase.
• Trajectory: [noun] The path or direction of something (e.g., a trend).
• Upward/Downward trend: [noun phrase] A pattern of continuous increase/decrease.
• Projection: [noun] An estimate or forecast of a future trend.

Conclusion

Mastering the language and skills required to describe trends in IELTS Writing Task 1 is crucial for achieving a Band 7 or higher. By understanding key vocabulary, using data effectively, and practicing with sample questions like the one above, you can confidently tackle any task related to corporate social responsibility spending or other global trends.