UNIT 5 CONSOLIDATION

AIM: This unit is aimed at providing students with

- the review of the techniques used to describe graphs/charts with trends
- the Pilot test (The pilot test can be done on the previous lesson so that teachers could have
time to mark the paper before they give students feedback)
- and feedback on the pilot test.

THINGS TO REMEMBER
CHARTS WITH
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
TRENDS
Task Achievement - Word limit
- Have you written at least 150 words? - Structure: opening,
- Have you understood and reworded the topic of the overview, body
chart(s)? - Overall patterns:
- Have you made an overview of the data? general trend(s) +
- Have you grouped the data in a way that helps the reader special feature(s)
to understand the information? - Data grouping
- Have you included some data to support your description? - Cooperating Facts
- Have you compared and contrasted the data in the - Comparisons and contrasts
chart(s)?
Grammatical range and accuracy
- Have you used a variety of sentence structures? - Sentence structures of
- Have you used noun phrases to express your ideas? trends
- Have you used appropriate verb tenses? - Prepositions/
- Have you controlled your subject-verb grammatical structures
agreement? for data incorporation
- Have you used correct prepositions? - Time expressions
- Have you used correct punctuation?
- Overall, is your grammar accurate?
Lexical resources - Vocabulary of varied trends
- Have you used a variety of appropriate and academic - Data expressions
words?
- Have you used correct word forms?
- Have you spelled the words correctly?
Coherence and cohesion
- Have you organized your answer in some logical way to - Signals for overview
describe the data from the chart(s)? - Linking signals
- Have you included an overview sentence to tell the reader - Grouping data based
the main idea of the chart(s)? on trends + similarities vs.
- Have you used a variety of appropriate linking differences
expressions?
- Have you used referencing pronouns and
synonyms to avoid repetition?

71
Practice 1: This exercise contains a range of mistakes, e.g. spelling and grammar that
students often make in the language that they use to write about graphs. Some of the
sentences have more than one mistake. Identify and correct them.

Example:

The number of computers sold fell down sharply.

→ The number of computers sold fell sharply in 2010.

1. The sales of chicken burgers dramatically increased over the period.

2. Diesel rose considerably until the end of the period.
3. The figure plummeted substantially in 1999.
4. There was sharply decrease of the amount of people attending the theatre over the period.
5. It is estimated that the number of cars on the road plunge when road pricing is introduced.
6. Sales hit a peak in late summer and then felled back in the consequent months.
7. There was, according to the graph, no significant changes to sales from 1973 to 1976.
8. The birth rate raised quite slowly over the period.
9. The amount of students has been increased from 2011 to 2,000 in 2012.
10. The figure saw a remain constant over the whole period.

Practice 2: Study the following line graph and three responses. Decide which one is: an
expert response, a good average response and a weak response.

Discuss your ideas with your partner. Use the list of questions from the assessment criteria
to give three reasons for your decisions. Think about

- the opening statement

- the overview paragraph
- the vocabulary used
- the grammar used
- the way that data has been organized – is it logical and clear?
- the way the ideas are linked together

72
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graph below shows the consumption of fish and some different kinds of meat in a
European country between 1979 and 2004.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Response A
The graph illustrates the consumption of beef and three different kinds of meat in a particular
European country between 1979 and 2004. Overall, there is a difference in the consumption
of meat eaten over the period.

In 1979 beef was the most popular food with about 225 grams per person per week. Lamb
and chicken were eaten in similar consumption with around 150 grams. During this 25 years
period, the consumption of beef and lamb fell down dramatically to about 100 grams and 55
grams respectively. People ate much less fish with just over 50 grams in 1979. And the use
of fish declined to just below 50 grams. We can see that only the use of chicken rises. (119
words

73
Response B
The line graph provides information on the amount of beef, lamb, chicken and fish
consumed in a country in Europe from 1979 and 2004.

There was a sharp rise in the consumption of chicken per person per week, under 150
grams in 1979 to approximately 250 grams in 2004. With such a significant increase in the
consumption level, chicken becomes the most popular kind of meat at the end of the period.

On the other hand, the consumption of three other kinds of meat declined by varying
degrees. From the most popular meat, with about 225 grams consumed per person per
week, beef became less popular over the years, with the consumption falling to about 100
grams in 2004. Likewise, the consumption of lamb falls from about 150 grams in 1979 to
over 50 grams in 1979. The consumption of fish also declined, but much less significantly to
just below 50 grams.

Overall, the consumption of chicken increased as opposed to that of the other three kinds of
meat over the period. 173 words

Response C

The line graph illustrates the amount of beef, lamb, chicken and fish consumed in a European
country from 1979 to 2004.
Overall, while the consumption of chicken rose sharply, that of the other kinds of meat fell by
varying degrees.
In 1979 beef was the most popular of these foods, with about 225 grams consumed per
person per week. Lamb and chicken were eaten in similar quantities (around 150 grams),
while much less fish was consumed (just over 50 grams).
However, during this 25-year period the consumption of beef and lamb fell dramatically to
approximately 100 grams and 55 grams respectively. The consumption of fish also declined,
but much less significantly to just below 50 grams, so although it remained the least popular
food, consumption levels were the most table.
The consumption of chicken, however, showed an upward trend, overtaking that of lamb in
1980 and that of beef in 1989. By 2004 it had soared to almost 250 grams per person per
week. (176 words)

74
Match the overall descriptions to each response.

Description 1
This is a good average response. A variety of vocabulary has been used, and there are only a
few minor grammatical errors indicated by mistakes in prepositions. There is a good attempt
to compare and summarize the data, and an overview sentence has been included. There is a
good variety of sentence structures used. There is one minor verb tense in this response.

Description 2
This is a weaker response. The opening sentence has virtually been copied word for word
from the question, rather than being reworded. This response does not give an overview
sentence, but instead simply repeats the opening sentence. The main ideas are not arranged
logically and there is also a lack of facts for one main idea. Sentence structures and
vocabulary are repetitive and simple. There are also several verb tense errors because a date
which has been given for the table is in the past, verb tense usage must reflect this as well as
being consistent. This is also below the required word count.

Description 3
This is an expert response. The opening sentence has been paraphrased, rather than being
reworded. This response gives an overview sentence. Synonyms have been used in order not
to repeat vocabulary, and complex sentence structures have been used along with linking
language to ensure good overall coherence and flow. The data has been logically grouped,
summarized and compared to good effect.

75
 PILOT MID-TERM WRITING TEST

Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graph shows the number of hours children aged 10 – 11 spend on watching TV
and computers from 2000 to the present.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.

76
Task 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The bar chart shows the percentage of small, medium, large companies
which used social media for business purposes between 2012 to 2016.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.

77