account for
To form or be a particular amount or part of something, or to explain why something happened.
writing-task-1writing-task-2Work and economyEnvironment
IELTS use
Report proportions in Task 1 (e.g., 'account for 25%') or explain reasons in Task 2.
Examples
- Renewable energy sources account for only 15% of the total.
- Several factors account for the decline in freshwater availability.
Collocations
- account for the majority
- Women accounted for the majority of university graduates.
- account for the difference
- Inflation can partly account for the difference in prices.
Word family
- Verb
- account
Paraphrases
- constitute: Formal alternative for percentages.
- make up: Less formal, used in describing composition.
Common mistakes
- It accounts of 30%. to It accounts for 30%.. The preposition is always 'for', not 'of'.
- This can be accounted with poor planning. to This can be accounted for by poor planning.. Correct passive form: 'accounted for by'.