GRAPH WRITING REVIEW

This is part of a short introduction to writing about Graphs.

Ovrviw!
Graphs! Gtting th "ain Ida
Graphs! Grouping Infor#ation
Graph Vocabu$ar%! Words
Graph Vocabu$ar%! Nu#brs
T%ps of Graphs
I. WRITING A&O'T GRAPH(! OVERVIEW
). &for %ou &gin
* 'ndr$in +% words. Write related words turn nouns into verbs, verbs into
nouns, adjectives into adverbs, etc. Write opposite words, similar words,
synonyms, etc.
* Circle and high$ight the graph. Use arrows. Make notes. Circle the biggest,
the smallest. stable or unchanging parts, sudden increases, etc.
* Idntif% trnds. A trend is the overall idea o the graph
what is happening!what happened
the main change over time
the most noticeable thing about the graph
the pattern over time
the pattern or dierent places or groups or people.
Note: Most graphs will have two trends, or there will be two graphs with a
trend in each. You could write about the two trends in two separate
paragraphs. Make sure you have identified the trends in the graph. If you
dont, you cant get IEL! "and #.
,. Whi$ %ou Writ! -a%out
Introduction
.irst sntnc" #escribe the graph. $ou can use some slightly dierent
words or word orms rom those on the %uestion paper, but be careul to
give the ull inormation. &tart $The graph shows $
(cond sntnc" 'his gives the trend or trends. $ou can put two trends
in this sentence or only one you could keep the other one or the
conclusion. &tart Overall,
Body"
Paragraph )! 'rend (
&tart with a sntnc with no nu#br. )City si*e increased sharply over
the period.+ )'he most obvious trend in the graph is that women are
having ewer babies.+ ),il production has increased slightly in all the
countries in the graph+
-ollow this sentence with an e.ample /sntnc with nu#br0 and
perhaps another e.ample /another sentence with number0. 1eep
alternating.
Paragraph ,! 'rend 2
&tart with a sntnc with no nu#br. )City si*e increased sharply over
the period.+
3ive an e.ample /sntnc with nu#br0 and perhaps another e.ample
/&entence with number0
Conclusion
-inish by repeating the main trends, or identiy a second trend. Use
dierent vocabulary.
#on4t have any numbers in the conclusion /you could use words like
)most+, )the majority+ )a minority+, )a small number+0.
#on4t give an opinion.
NOTE!
a. While ou Write! "o#e $on%ts
%ont describe the & and Y a'is. (ive the infor)ation.
$on%t write a&out everything on the graph. *ick the biggest, the
s)allest, the )ain points, the )ain trends. (roup si)ilar things together
%ont write about the line or the bar: $he line went up,+ $he bar went
down.+ Instead, write about the idea. $he nu)ber of people going to
work by train increased gradually.+ $,il production shot up in -.#/+
Make sure you write about the idea. %ont use shorthand: $Men went
up.+ $0o)en went down.+ Instead, write about the real data: $he
nu)ber of )en at university fell dra)atically,+ $he percentage of
fe)ale students getting a degree rose suddenly.+
%ont use $I feel+, $as I have written,+ $as you can see,+ etc. 1eep it
acade)ic. In IEL!, you can give your opinions in ask 2. In ask -
3writing about a graph or visual data4 you 5ust report what you see.
%ont start sentences with "ut, !o, 6lso, 6nd, 7or, !ince, "ecause,
6lthough
%o you really need four paragraphs in IEL! ask -8 9o: 3You definitely
need the) for ask 24. "ut its good to think about four paragraphs. It
will help you to organi;e your writing. !o go ahead and write four
paragraphs, or at least three 3intro, body, conclusion4.
&. Word 'ength and "entence 'ength
Make sure you have -/< words. You should have so)e short sentences
3about #=-< words4 and so)e long ones 3-2=->4 words, but your average
should be about -2 or -? words per sentence.
6 sentence without a nu)ber will usually be short. @se a )i' A a
sentence without a nu)ber followed by a sentence or two with a nu)ber.
II. GRAPH(! "AIN I/EA
,ne o the most important things to do is get the #ain ida o the graph.
-irst, identiy the main eatures o the graph. What is happening5 What are the biggest numbers5 6 it is a
time graph, what are the biggest changes5 What are the trnds0
's a Pn1
6deally you need to ind one main idea and, i possible, one or two more smaller ideas.
#on4t have too much inormation
#on4t analy*e or e.plain everything in the graph
#on4t go rom let to right, e.plaining everything. 6nstead pick the main ideas.
Use the biggest and ne.t biggest don4t mention everything in between.
#on4t mention the small or unimportant stu
7ick an idea and ind inormation that supports it

&tudy the graph below. 7rint it out. Write on it. Circle the important points beginnings, endings, sudden
changes, low points, high points, trends, averages, dierences between lines, dierences over time

'he graph shows U& sports players4 salaries in dollars.
6n (89:, baseballers earned ;(2<,::: a year, ootballers4 salaries averaged ;88,::: a year, and basketball
players earned about ;=>,::: annually.
"ain idas
6ll salaries increased
"ig differences between -.B< and 2<<< for all sports
"asketball was biggest in 2<<<, followed by baseball
In -.B<, basketball was the lowest, baseball was the highest
here was a sudden rise beginning in -.><
here was another sharp rise for all sports in -..<
!alaries in football began to level off or even fall fro) -../ onwards
III. GRAPH(! GRO'PING IN.OR"ATION
&ometimes there is just too much inormation in a graph. $ou may need to group inormation. 3rouping
inormation means putting two or three similar or related things together.
'his makes it easier or the reader to understand. 6t is also less work or you, because you can put more
than one piece o inormation in a sentence.
's a Pn1 "a+ Groups1
-or e.ample, you might be able to divide a list into three groups. ,ten there is one group at the top,
one in the middle, and one at the bottom.
?ook at the graph below, which shows the number o 6nternet users in @uropean countries in 2:::.
*ossible groups could be
Top! 7inland, !weden, 9etherlands, and %en)ark (a&out )* users per hundred+
,roup -! (er)any, 6ustria, @1 (a&out -* to -. users per hundred+
,roup /! Ireland, "elgiu), 7rance and Italy (0)102 users+
,roup )! !pain, *ortugal, (reece (less than 0*3 Internet users+
IV. GRAPH(! VO2A&'-AR3
$ou need to know some special vocabu$ar% or graphs.
6n the 6@?'& e.am, you have to write only (<: words, so show how much vocabulary you know. $ou
don4t need to repeat the same wordsA
"ov#nt 4Vrbs5! 'p
Bose
Went up
6ncreased
3rew
&hot up
&urged
Bocketed
"ov#nt 4Vrbs5! /own
-ell
#eclined
#ropped
#ecreased
&ank
Went down
7lunged
7lummeted
Prpositions
Cetween (88< and 2:::
-rom (88< to 2:::
&ales rose rom 2:: to 2<:
&ales ell to (<: in March
&ales ell by <:D
Advrbs and intnsifirs
slightly
a little
a lot
sharply
suddenly
steeply
gradually
gently
steadily
No "ov#nt! 4Vrbs with Ad6ctivs7 Vrbs5
remained steady
were unchanged
did not change
remained constant
remained stable
stabili*ed
Tops and &otto#s
reached a peak
peaked
reached their highest level
ell to a low
sank to a trough
reached a bottom
45a#ple"
6assengers at a 'ondon 7nderground "tation
he graph shows the 8luctuation in the nu)ber of people at a London underground station over the
course of a day.
he busiest ti)e of the day is in the )orning. here is a sharp increase between <#:<< and <>:<<, with
C<< people using the station at > oclock. 6fter this the nu)bers drop 9uic:ly to less than 2<< at -<
oclock. "etween -- a) and ? p) the nu)ber rises, with a plateau of 5ust under ?<< people using the
station.
In the afternoon, nu)bers decline, with less than -<< using the station at C p). here is then a rapid rise
to a pea: of ?>< at #p). 6fter B p), nu)bers fall signi8icantly, with only a slight increase again at >p),
tailing off after . p).
,verall, the graph shows that the station is )ost crowded in the early )orning and early evening
periods.
Vocabu$ar% Tips
#on4t repeat verbs
Ceore you start to write, make a list o s%non%#s /words with the same meaning0
&ee how many ways you can rphras the title o the graph. Use one in the introduction and
another in the conclusion with the same meaning
Ce careul with prepositions. 'hey can make a big dierence in meaning. -or e.ample, $rose by+
is very dierent rom $rose to.+ ?earn your verbs with the preposition that goes with them.

V. GRAPH(! THE VO2A&'-AR3 O. N'"&ER(
'here are some special words or numbers, ractions and percentages.
?ook at the ollowing table which shows a number in dierent years /(88:E(88<0 "
)889 )88:
(2:: (F::
$ou could describe the above table using nu#brs7 fractions or prcntags!
'he number went up b% ;99, rom (2:: to F::. 39u)ber4
'he number went up b% ha$f, rom (2:: to (F::. 37raction4
'he igure went up b% :9<, rom (2:: to (F::. *ercentage4
'he igure went up (<:D, to (F::. /*ercentage4
)88, )88= )88; )88>
<:: (::: >::: (2:::
Use ?trb$d7@ ?*fo$d7@ and ?ti#s!@
'he number doub$d between (882 and (88=.
'he number trb$d between (88= and (88G.
'he igure Auadrup$d rom (88G to (88F
'here was a twofo$d incras between (882 and (88=.
'he igure went up siBfo$d between (882 and (88G.
'he igure in (88G was thr ti#s the (882 igure.
'he igure in (88F was four ti#s the (88G igure.
)88, )88= )88; )88>
(::: F:: =:: (::
Use .ractions"
Cetween (882 and (88=, the igure ell by on*fifth.
Cetween (88= and (88G, the number dropped by a ha$f.
'he igure in (88F was on*tnth the (882 total.
VI. GRAPH(! T3PE( O. GRAPH(
$ou are likely to meet only two types o graphs in 6@?'& or other intermediate @nglish tests ti# and
co#parison graphs. /&ometimes you can get both in the same testA0
6n time graphs you have to describe changes over time.
6n comparison graphs you have to compare dierent items countries, people, products, places,
etc.
The voca&ulary 8or each :ind o8 graph is di88erent!
6n time graphs you use time vocab to describe change" rose, ell, declined, shot up, increased,
remained steady, etc.
6n comparison graphs you compare" twice as much as, more than, less than, the same amount, both
H and $ have the same igure, while ! whereas, etc.
). Ti# Graphs 4Iere is a ti# graph5.
$ou have to compare dierent methods o transport used in the U& over the last century train, bus and
air.
$ou could start with
train /because it is the oldest method0
by air /because it is the biggest method o public transport today.0
Iowever, donCt start with bus because it is very small and not the main idea
he )ain trend with rail transport is that it rose to a peak in the -.2<s and -.?<s and then declined.
he )ain trend with air is that it started late, in the -.#<s, but it has shot up to beco)e by far the biggest
carrier of passengers.
,. 2o#parison Graphs /Iere is a co#parison graph0.
$ou have to compare the amount o water used or domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes.
here are two ways to write about this graph:
by countr% /make groups, e.g. &audi Arabia and ,man, which have mainly agricultural use, then
Cahrain and 1uwait which have mainly domestic use, etc0
by us /Agriculture, then #omestic, then 6ndustrial.0
If you decide to write by describing use, you could start with 6griculture because it is the biggest user.
,roup together !audi 6rabia and ,)an as the top users, and then group @6E and Datar as the )iddle
group of users, using #<E of water for agriculture. 7inally )ention "ahrain and 1uwait.
Your second paragraph should be about %o)estic use, the use of water in the ho)e, because it is the
second biggest use. !tart with 1uwait and "ahrain (grouped together+ 3)ore than /<E4 and then write
about Datar and the @6E.