WRITING TASK 1: DESCRIBING FACTS AND FIGURES

The information in Task 1 is presented in the following ways

1. A line graph 4. A diagram of stages of a process or procedure
2. A bar or pie chart 5. A sequence of events
3. A table of information
HOW TO WRITE
THINK FIRST:
Line graph/ Bar, Pie chart/graphs, tables Process diagrams/flow chart
 Ask questions
What is the purpose of the graph? What is the purpose of this process?
What changes have occurred over time? How does it work?
What are the significant trends? How to include alternative steps?
What is the most interesting feature? What is the end result?
THEN WRITE
Introduction
Paraphrase the topic in 1 Paraphrase the task description in 1
or 2 sentences or 2 sentences. Include the purpose/
Don’t copy it end product of the process
Description
Focus on trends and interesting points Follow each step in sequence
Describe the most significant data first Include every step
Give example to support trends Expand headings into sentences
Use statistics accurately Use connecting words to link steps
Conclusion
Do not have to be a separate paragraph Do not have to be a separate
A single sentence can be round off your report paragraph
Include comment/opinion/interesting observation A single sentence can round off your
if appropriate report. Include comment/opinion if
possible
Writing the introductory sentence: To write an introductory sentence, use your own words.
Type of chart Appropriate verb Description
The illustration shows the number of…
line graph illustrates the proportion…
pie chart presents* the information on…
bar chart indicates the data on…
table describes the percentage…
provides the rate…
gives
compares
To avoid plagiarism, reword the given topic
Example:
The two pie charts show the proportion of males and females in employment in 6 categories
↓
The two pie charts give the proportion of men and women employed in 6 areas

Writing the body:

Start your description with one of the following expressions:
It is clear from the graph / table that…..
It can be seen from the graph / table that….
From the graph / table it is clear that….
As the graph / table shows, ….
As can be seen from the graph / table, …..
As is shown by the graph / table,…..
As is illustrated by the graph / table, ……

Warnings:

1. Avoid using the phrase: according to the graph. This is because the phrase according to generally
means that the information comes from another person or source, and not from our own knowledge. In
the case of a graph or table that is shown, the information is there right in front of you, the writer and
also the reader, and so you can both “know” it. That is, it does not come from another source.
2. Note that the expressions as can be seen from the graph or as is shown/illustrated by the table do
not contain the dummy subject “it”. Avoid these expressions if you think you are going to forget this
unusual grammar
3. The word presents is best avoided, since it requires a sophisticated summarizing noun to follow. For
example: The graph presents an overview of the population growth of Asia in the last 20 years.
If appropriate, write one or two sentences to sum up the overall trend before describing specific details

Writing the conclusion: Your report may end with one or two sentences which summarizes your report
to draw a relevant conclusion
 DESCRIBING TRENDS (LINE GRAPHS)
LANGUAGE USE
These are some ways to express changes in the line graph

Time period there + be adjective to noun to describe in “ what”

describe change change
From January to there is slight increase in the number
February,… was a slow rise of (cars sold)
During (in) the has been gradual growth
period from…to/
will be dramatic….. fall
between…..and drop
……
decline
In the first/ last
three months of
the year

Over the period

from…….to
Over the next
years/ decades…

Time period subject of the verb to describe adverb to describe how

sentence change much change
From January to February, the number of (cars increased slightly
… sold) rose dramatically
During (in) the period fell moderately
from…to/
sales dropped …..
between…..and……
In the first/ last three declined
months of the year
…
Over the period from…….to
Over the next years/
decades…

Little or no change can be expressed in the following way

The number of (cars sold)
remained/stayed the same from….. to…
remained /stayed
between….and…
stable/unchanged/constant
reached the plateau
stood at…/ levelled off at

The highest and the lowest points can be expressed in the following way
The monthly profit reached a peak of… in (December)
hit a peak of…
The figures at (20%)
hit to the highest point of …
The situation peaked at…

hit a trough of…

bottomed out at….
reached the bottom of...
fell/ reached to the lowest point of…..