a substantial proportion

IELTS use

Useful for describing data proportions in Task 1, discussing demographic or economic segments in Task 2, and in Speaking Part 3.

Examples

1. A substantial proportion of young adults in the survey reported experiencing anxiety.
2. In many countries, a substantial proportion of government spending goes to healthcare and education.
3. The pie chart illustrates that a substantial proportion of energy comes from fossil fuels.

Collocations

a substantial proportion of

A substantial proportion of the workforce is employed in the service sector.

a substantial proportion of the population

A substantial proportion of the population lives in urban areas.

account for a substantial proportion

Renewable sources now account for a substantial proportion of electricity generation.

grow to a substantial proportion

The informal economy has grown to a substantial proportion in some developing countries.

Word family

Noun

proportion

Adjective

substantial

Paraphrases

• a large share: Slightly less formal but common in data descriptions.
• a significant portion: Common synonym with similar academic tone.
• a considerable amount: More general; used for uncountable nouns like time or money.

Common mistakes

• A substantial proportion of students are from abroad. to A substantial proportion of students is from abroad.. Use singular verb 'is' because the subject is 'a proportion' (singular), not 'students'.
• There is a substantial proportion between males and females. to There is a substantial difference in the proportion of males and females.. 'Proportion' refers to a part of a whole, not a difference; use 'difference' for comparison.
• A substantial proportion less than 10 percent. to A substantial proportion is less than 10 percent.. The sentence needs a main verb; add 'is'.