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Describing Graphs and Charts |
Describing Graphs and Charts
How to describe graphs and charts?
Do not copy information from the
question paper, use your own words. Make sure that you describe the most
important information and that your figures are accurate. Paraphrase the
information in the question. Avoid repeating the same words and phrases and try
to vary the sentence structures you use. Give an overview of the most important
trends or patterns.
When describing trends of graphs and
charts, it is best to use:
- the simple past to talk
about 'finished time, e.g. in 1950, last year.
- the present perfect to talk
about 'unfinished time, e.g. since 1950, ever, this year
- a future tense to talk
about future time, e.g. in 2030, next year
We often use the following
expression when talking about future or predicted data, because the simple
future is a little too certain:
... are/is (un)likely
... are/is predicted to
... are/is expected to
For example: Between 1950 and 2030, the proportion of the world's
population is expected to double.
to
OR we use a verb such as predict and
a future tense.
For example: It is predicted that the proportion of the world's
population will double by 2030.
To emphasise a difference, you can
use: many, much, far, and significantly.
English Grammar and Composition
The amount of waste material being
recycled In 2011 was much more than In 1985.
For small differences you can use:
slightly or nearly as ... as.
The percentage of garbage being recycled
in 1970 was slightly higher than In 1960.
How to describe ber dagrams:
When you first see a bar chart, ask
yourself the following questions:
1) What do the numbers on the
vertical/horizontal axis measures?
2) How is the Information grouped on
the other axis?
9) What do the different shades of
the bars show?
4) When was the data collected?
The answers will give you the
essential Information for understanding It. Make sure you know which units are
being used to measure quantities.
Example 1
The chart below gives Information
about science qualifications held by people in two countries. Summarise the
Information by selecting and reporting the main features, and male comparisons
where relevant. Write at least 150 words
Model answer
The bar chart illustrates the
percentage of people who has a science qualification in Singapore and Malaysia.
A prominent feature about both the countries is that a significantly low
percentage of people have science qualifications at the Master's and Bachelor's
level. Less than 5% of people hold a qualification in science at Master's
degree level in both Singapore and Malaysia.
There is a significant difference in
the percentage of people with science qualifications at Bachelor level. While
this number is 20% in Singapore, it is a only 10% in Malaysia. The percentage
of people doing science at school leaving exams is slightly higher in Malaysia
than in Singapore. 35% of people in Malaysia have a science qualification at
this level, whereas in Singapore it is 30%. Finally, more than half of the
people in both countries have no science qualification at all.
Example 2
The diagrams below give information
on transport and car use in Edmonton. Summarise the information by selecting
and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write
at least 150 words.
Tips for comparing information in
graphs or charts
When you describe two figures, ask
yourself the following:
1) What do both figures relate to?
2) What kind of relationship is
evident? (a similarity, a difference, a cause and effect relationship or some
other type of relationship)
3) Which aspects of each figure
should be highlighted?
4) Should I describe the figures in
separate paragraphs, or should I
compare different aspects of the
figures within a series of paragraph?
Model answer
The table shows the reason why
people in Edmonton use their cars in the city and the pie chart explains what
type of transport people prefer to use most of the time.
Looking at the pie chart first, it
is clear that the car is the most popular means of transport in this city. 45%
of the people say that they prefer to commute by car. The second most popular
form of transport is the LRT, while buses and taxis are the main means of
transport for the rest of the people.
The table gives more detailed information
about why people use their cars. Surprisingly, 55% of the people need to
commute to work by car. Cars are also used a lot for taking children to school
or business purposes. Only 15% of drivers are doing their shopping and,
similarly, 15% need to travel by car for leisure.
Overall, people in Edmonton make
good use of alternative methods of transport but there is a heavy dependence on
cars for work.
Note: There are sometimes two or
three pie charts that you must compare. The pie charts may represent different
years and show trends over time. You need to describe the changes and
similarities / differences between the pie charts.
Example 3
The graph below shows the number of
books read by men and women at Bumaby Publi Ubrary from 2011 to 2014. Describe
the graph In your own language.
Model answer
The graph gives information about
the number of books people read in Burnaby Public Library between 2011 and
2014.
As can be seen from the graph, there
were different trends for men and women. The number of books read by men
Increased steadily between 2011 and 2012, from about 3000 to 4000. After that,
the number rose dramatically to 14000 in 2014. This was the highest figure in
the given period.
Women started off reading more books
than men, but thelr numbers followed a different pattem. Between 2011 and 2012,
there was an Increase from 3000 to 3500 in 2012, and 8000 in 2015. Then there
was a gradual rise to 10000 books in 2013. However, in 2014, the numbers fell
back to 8000 again.
Overall, there was a strong upward
trend in the number of books read by men. Although women read more books than
men from 2011 to 2013, their reading fell to below the level of men in 2014.
Example 4
The table below shows the result of
a survey that arkad 6800 Scottish adults (aged 16 years and over) whether they
had taken part in different cultural actvities in the past 12 month Describe
the chart by reporting the man feetures. Make comparisons where relevant.
Model answer
The table shows details of
participation in a variety of cultural activities over a year, according to the
age of the participants. Overall, any performance, which includes dancing,
singing, playing musical instruments and acting, had the highest level of
participation, with 22% of respondents participating in the previous 12 months.
By contrast, computer based activities had the lowest level of participation (6
percent). People aged between 45 and 74 years old were most likely to undertake
any activity to do with crafts (22 percent), while performances were more
likely to be participated in by those aged 16 to 24 (35 percent). The
differences between age groups were particularly marked in the case of visual
arts and writing categories, where participation rates were around three times
higher for younger people than for the older ones. It is clear from the
evidence that age plays a significant role in the popularity of the cultural
activities listed.
Writing a Cover Letter
Source-
English Grammar and Composition |
Classes Nine-Ten | NCATB, BD
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