level off

IELTS use

Useful in Task 1 to describe a trend that stabilises after a period of change, often after a sharp rise or fall, helping to show the overall pattern clearly.

Examples

1. After a steep increase in 2015, the number of internet users levelled off at around 4 billion.
2. The unemployment rate levelled off in the second quarter, suggesting the economic crisis had ended.
3. The graph shows that oil prices levelled off in 2020 after several years of fluctuation.
4. As more people moved to the suburbs, the city's population began to level off in the early 2000s.

Collocations

level off at

The number of daily visitors levelled off at roughly 2,000.

level off after

Electricity demand levelled off after the introduction of energy-efficient appliances.

eventually level off

Although costs rose sharply at first, they eventually levelled off.

level off in

Car ownership levelled off in the late 1990s.

begin to level off

Tourist arrivals began to level off after the new visa restrictions were introduced.

Word family

Noun

levelling off

Verb

level off

Paraphrases

• remain stable: A simpler equivalent for describing a plateau in a trend.
• stabilise: A more formal synonym, common in academic writing.
• reach a plateau: Emphasises that a period of growth has ended and the figure becomes flat.

Common mistakes

• The price levelled off on $10. to The price levelled off at $10.. Use 'at' to indicate the specific value where the trend becomes stable.
• The rate levelled off since 2010. to The rate levelled off in 2010.. Use 'in' with a specific year or period when describing when the stabilisation occurred.
• The number was levelled off at 5 million. to The number levelled off at 5 million.. 'Level off' is intransitive; do not use the passive form here.
• The trend levelled off gradually, but then it suddenly increased. to The trend levelled off at a high point before declining.. If it later changes, use 'before' or 'until' to show the sequence clearly, not a contradictory sentence.