General information about Task 1

There is/was/has been + a/an +(adverb)+ adjective + noun
The number of attendees rose dramatically.
There was a dramatic rise in the number of attendees.
There are/were/have been + (adverb)+ adjective + noun
The prices fluctuated wildly during the last few months.
There were wild fluctuations during the last few months.
Sentences containing verb phrases such as fell steadily can often be written using
the correct form of there is/are and a related noun.
Examples
The consumption of chocolate fell steadily. (verb + adverb)
There was a steady fall in the consumption of chocolate. (there was a + adjective+
noun)
There has been a dramatic rise in the production of films.(there has been a +
adjective + noun)
The production of films has risen dramatically. (verb + adverb)
London saw/experienced/witnessed a significant increase in the cost of homes.
(adjective + noun)
The cost of homes in London increased significantly. (verb + adverb)
There was a 7% fall in the average house price in Tokyo. ( noun)
The average Tokyo house price fell by 7%. 
IELTS Grammar: number, amount, proportion, figure
number:
- Use "the number of + plural noun" e.g. the number of visitors.
- Do not use it to describe percentages or uncountable nouns e.g. money.

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amount:
- Use "the amount of + uncountable noun" e.g. the amount of money.
- Do not use it with countable nouns e.g. the amount of person/people.
proportion:
- Only use this to describe percentages (not numbers).
- Use "the proportion of + plural noun" e.g. the proportion of people.
( How would you define 'majority', 'few' and 'many' in percentages?
'Majority' normally means more than 50%. 'Few' and 'many' are normally used
with numbers rather than percentages: a small percentage of people could still refer
to a large number of (many) people. 'Many' and 'few' are difficult to define because
it depends on the context, but in general they refer to large and small numbers
respectively.)
figure:
- Use "the figure for + plural noun" e.g. the figure for visitors to the UK.
- Use it with uncountable nouns e.g. the figure for unemployment.
- Use it with countries e.g. the figure for Canada.
- Use it with percentages e.g. the figure (for...) rose to 10%.