a marginal increase
A very small or insignificant rise in number, amount, or level.
writing-task-1Work and economy
IELTS use
Describes small changes in data, often to contrast with larger changes.
Examples
- There was only a marginal increase in sales this quarter.
- The chart shows a marginal increase in renewable energy use.
Collocations
- a marginal increase
- A marginal increase in funding was recorded last year.
Word family
- Noun
- margin
- Adjective
- marginal
- Adverb
- marginally
Paraphrases
- a slight uptick: More informal, used for small rises.
- a negligible rise: Emphasizes that the increase is almost zero.
- a minimal gain: Focuses on the smallness of the increase.
Common mistakes
- a marginal increased to a marginal increase. 'Increase' is a noun here, not a past participle.
- marginal increase of 5% to marginal increase of 5%. This is correct, but ensure the percentage is truly small in context.