Describing A Graph

The writing skills needed to interpret a diagram, graph or table are:

Organise, present and possibly compare datae.g. money people spend on different forms of entertainment.

Describe stages of a procedure or processe.g. the stages of human evolution

Describe on object or event or series of eventse.g. How the water cycle works

Explain how something workse.g. How a car engine works

You must respond appropriately in terms of:

Register - formality and politeness; e.g. no short forms (don’t, can’t)

Organisation - clear and logical Style - academic;

e.g. no rhetorical questions, no exclamations, no extreme opinions, use tentative expressions such as "this appears to be" or "this is probably due to'

Content - relevant and complete

Bear in mind these points:

Task Fulfillment – answer the question completely Coherence – use sequencing words e.g. Firstly, Secondly,

Finally Cohesion – using anaphoric reference e.g. "this", "it", "he",

"and", "but" and synonyms Vocabulary – use a wide range, appropriate and academic Sentence Structure – be concise but not simplistic e.g. correct

use of relative clauses.

Vocabulary to describe graphs & bar charts

1. Vocabulary to describe rise

Verb Nounto rise (rose-risen) a riseto increase an increaseto go up (went-gone)  

2. Vocabulary to describe fall

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Verb Nounto fall (fell-fallen) a fallto decrease a decreaseto go down (went-gone)  to drop a dropto decline a decline

3. Vocabulary to describe rise/fall and no change

Verb Noun Meaningto fluctuate a fluctuation go up and downto vary variation go up and downto hold steady   no changeto remain stable   no change

Sentence Structures

Using verbs:

Unemployment rose.

Inflation fell.

The exchange rate fluctuated 

 

 

Using nouns:

There was a rise in unemployment.

There was a fall in inflation.

There was a fluctuation in the exchange rate.

Don't forget the preposition "in"!

Try to use the sentence structure with "there is/was" etc - it has more words and will help you reach the word limit!

Adjectives & Adverbs

You can use the nouns and verbs above in many ways by adding adjectives and adverbs to describe them more accurately. Use an adjective with a noun and an adverb with a verb.

Adjective Adverb Meaning

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dramatic dramatically quick and suddensharp sharply quick and suddengradual gradually slow and steadysteady steadily  slight slightly small changemarginal marginally small change - not

importantsignificant significantly important change

Examples:

1. Unemployment rose dramatically  = verb + adverb structure.

2. There was a dramatic rise in unemployment = adjective + noun structure.

                                                                                       

Practise your Task One Vocabulary

Now make your own sentences to practise Task One language. Use the typical Task One subjects below:

o unemployment o sales o inflation o the exchange rate o prices o the number of + countable noun o the amount of + uncountable noun

EXAMPLE: There was a dramatic rise in the number of students taking IELTS last year.

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Vocabulary to describe pie charts

1.Vocabulary to describe amounts

Exam tips

You need to learn different ways to express amounts.  If you cannot express information in a variety of ways, your writing will become repetitive (the same words repeated too often). This is bad style in English and will lower your IELTS mark. You should try to use a few different styles and not simply copy the expressions in the question.

Notice that you need "a" with fractions except with "half", "three quarters", "two thirds"....

10% a tenth20% a fifth25% a quarter33% a third50% half75% three quarters95% the vast

majority/almost all

100% all

The amounts are not usually as clear as this. Have a look at how to express other percentages:

22% slightly more than a fifth

These expressions are also a lot more words, which brings you closer to your word target.31% slightly less than

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a third60% more than half

 2. Practice Exercise

The pie chart shows the contents of the average British dustbin. Work through the gap-fill exercise below it to practise Task One language.

The pie chart reveals what the average Briton throws away. From the information shown, we can see that ....................................of the rubbish is paper waste, while plastic accounts for .......................... Food waste is the next biggest category, accounting for ................................... Glass makes up ............of the contents of the average British dustbin, and metal and cloth make up the remaining percentage - 7% and 5% respectively.

Check your answers

 The pie chart reveals what the average Briton throws away. From the information shown, we can see that exactly a third of the rubbish is paper waste, while plastic accounts for slightly more than a quarter. Food waste is the next biggest category, accounting for slightly less than a fifth. Glass makes up a tenth of the contents of the average British dustbin, and metal and cloth make up the remaining percentage - 7% and 5% respectively.

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Describing tables

When describing tables, you can often use a lot of the same language you studied for graphs. Tables can sometimes be confusing because you can read them from left to right or top to bottom. It is a good idea to put a circle around the facts you want to describe at the beginning when you are planning and make a few notes about the most important numbers.

Exam tipsA useful first sentence for many Task 1 questions is: "The pie chart (or graph or table etc.) shows/illustrates...."

Practise Exercise One

The table below shows which courses students chose to study at a language school in London. The information in the table covers the years 1997, 1998 and 1999. Look at the table and choose the facts that you think will be interesting to describe:

Year Total Students

General English

Exam Courses

Holiday Courses

Study+Work Courses

1997 400 150 60 150 401998 500 150 80 200 701999 350 140 80 50 80

It is very important to keep your answer as organised as possible. It is often a good idea to spend two or three minutes planning the order of your answer to make sure it is well-organised.

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Answer these questions to help you think about the table:

When did the school have the greatest number of students?Which was the most popular course and in what year?Which course has the greatest fluctuation in student numbers?Which courses are increasing in popularity?Which course has the steadiest student numbers?

Check your answers

Make sure you describe the facts correctly in Task 1 questions. If you describe the facts inaccurately, you will lose marks. Do not write your opinion - just describe the information.

Practise Exercise Two

Read the description of the table below. Some of the facts are not described correctly. Find the mistakes and correct them. Make a note of your answers and then check them.

Year Total Students

General English

Exam Courses

Holiday Courses

Study+Work Courses

1997 400 150 60 150 401998 500 150 80 200 701999 350 140 80 50 80

The table shows which courses students chose at a London language school in the years 1996, 1997 and 1998. 

It can be seen that 1998 was a good year for the school, with the highest total number of students (450). However, the following year student numbers fell to below their 1997 level. 

 The number of students enrolling on General English Courses remained steady over the period shown on the graph, but the popularity of Exam Courses fluctuated dramatically, peaking at 200 students in 1998, but dropping to 80 students in 1999. Interestingly, these courses were the most popular in 1998, but the least popular the following year.

Exam Courses were the least popular option in 1997, but they became more popular, with 60 and 80 students enrolling in 1998 and 1999 respectively. Study+Work Courses increased in popularity over the period: the table shows that the number of students enrolling on these courses doubled.

Check your answers

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Practise your Task One Vocabulary

Now practise describing tables by answering this IELTS Task One type question. (By the way, the figures are not true - it's just an example). When you have finished, you can compare your answer with our model essay.

The table below shows information about the average length of stay and spend of overseas visitors to Australia. Describe the table. You should write about 150 words.

  1994 1995 1996Length of stay

(days) 9.2 10 9Spend per visit

(A$) 487 499 630Spend per day

(A$) 50.5 49.9 70

Copyright © 2000 english-net.com. All rights reserved.

Now you need to practise this vocabulary yourself to help you remember it.  You should use the sentence structures in the gap-fill exercise to help you too. If you don't want to practise now, go back to the top and come back later.  

 Answers

When did the school have the greatest number of students? 1998Which was the most popular course and in what year? Holiday Courses in 1998Which course has the greatest fluctuation in student numbers? Holiday CoursesWhich courses are increasing in popularity? Exam Courses & Study+Work CoursesWhich course has the steadiest student numbers? General English

 

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Answers

The correct answers are in red.The table shows which courses students chose at a London language school in the years 1997, 1998 and 1999. It can be seen that 1998 was a good year for the school, with the highest total number of students (500). However, the following year student numbers fell to below their 1997 level.  The number of students enrolling on General English Courses remained steady over the period shown on the graph, but the popularity of Holiday Courses fluctuated dramatically, peaking at 200 students in 1998, but dropping to 50 students in 1999. Interestingly, these courses were the most popular in 1998, but the least popular the following year.Study+Work Courses were the least popular option in 1997, but they became more popular, with 70 and 80 students enrolling in 1998 and 1999 respectively. Study+Work Courses increased in popularity over the period: the table shows that the number of students enrolling on these courses doubled.

The graph below shows the different modes of commuter transport used in London in 1960, 1980 and 2000. 

Commuter Transport in London

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Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown. You should write at least 150 words.

Preparation for Task 1

Practise with a partner:

Identify the main trends for each mode. Identify any large increases or decreases. Are there any clear and consistent directions? Does anything seem particularly significant? Are there any clear relationships between modes or

percentages?

Model answer for Task 1

Model answerThe graph shows the changing patterns in commuting by train, car, tube or bus for commuters  in London in the years 1960, 1980 and 2000.  

The number of people using trains at first rose from just under 20% in 1960 to about 26% in 1980, but then fell back to about 23% in 2000. 

Use of the tube has been relatively stable, falling from around 27% of commuters in 1960 to 22% in 1980, but climbing back to reach 25% by 2000.  

On the other hand, the use of cars increased steadily from just over 5% in 1960 to 23% in 1980, reaching almost 40% by 2000, whereas the popularity of buses has declined since 1960, falling from just under 35% in 1960 to 27% in 1980 and only 15% in 2000. 

The graph indicates the growing use of cars for commuting to work between 1960 - 2000, and the corresponding decline in the popularity of buses from being the most popular mode of transport in 1960 to the least popular in 2000.

The text above given in the model answer consists of 174 words in 5 paragraphs which describe the data in the chart.  These 5 paragraphs can be further analysed as comprising:

Introduction Figures on the use of trains Figures on the use of the tube

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Figures on the use of cars and buses Conclusion

Task 1: Introduction

The introductory paragraph states the main purpose of the chart, written in paraphrase using the writer's own words.

Introduction: paragraph 1

The graph shows the the changing patterns in travelling to work by train, car, tube or bus for commuters  in London in the years 1960, 1980 and 2000.  

Task 1: Trains

The second paragraph describes the data for the use of trains given in the chart, written in the writer's own words.

Trains: paragraph 2

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The number of people using trains at first rose from just under 20% in 1960 to about 26% in 1980, but then fell back to about 23% in 2000. 

Task 1: the Tube

The third paragraph describes the data for the use of the tube given in the chart, written in the writer's own words.

The Tube: paragraph 3

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Use of the tube has been relatively stable, falling from around 27% of commuters in 1960 to 22% in 1980, but climbing back to reach 25% by 2000.  

Task 1: Cars and buses

The fourth paragraph describes the data for the use of cars and buses given in the chart, written in the writer's own words.

Cars and buses: paragraph 4

On the other hand, the use of cars increased steadily from just over 5% in 1960 to 23% in 1980, reaching almost 40% by 2000, whereas the popularity of buses has declined since 1960, falling from just under 35% in 1960 to 27% in 1980 and only 15% in 2000. 

Task 1: Conclusion

The concluding paragraph summarises the main findings of the chart, written in the writer's own words.

Conclusion: paragraph 5

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The graph indicates the growing use of cars for commuting to work between 1960 - 2000, and the corresponding decline in the popularity of buses from being the most popular mode of transport in 1960 to the least popular in 2000.

The main writing skills performed in Task 1 are:

Describing numerical data Identifying differences and similarities Comparing and contrasting Identifying and describing trends

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