WRITING TASK 1

I. INTRODUCTION

Phrases

The (given/ [type of graph] gives information how S + V

shown/provided) about/on
- line/ bar/ table/ pie: how much/many + N + V
chart, diagram. illustrates
the amount of/ the number of +
- line/ bar: graph shows N

- map/process: compares the percentage of/ the

illustration, picture. proportion of + N
presents

Write the introduction for the following graphs:

1. The table gives information on energy production in America from 2005 to 2010.

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2. The bar chart gives information on how people participated in different sports in China
between 2002 and 2007.

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3. The line graph illustrates spending on five different items in the UK.

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4. The diagram shows the process of university application in 3 different schools.

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5. The picture illustrates how music is produced in the US in 2013.

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II. OVERVIEW

 Leading phrases

Overall, S + V

It is evident/obvious that S + V

It can be seen from the graph that S + V

At the first glance, it is clear that S + V

 Language for trend

- Opposite:

Although/ while S1 + V1, the opposite can be seen in [B].

................................, the opposite was true/ the case for [B]

................................, [B] shows an opposite trend.

While the percentages of A increased/ decreased/ fluctuated with…, the figures for B
increased/ decreased/ fluctuated with…

- Similar:

All [category] + V

Ex: It can be seen from the graph that all types of vehicles experienced an upward
trend in the number of passengers.

- Exception:

The figures for all [categories] increased/ decreased/ fluctuated with an upward/
downward trend, except for…

Ex: The figures for all the enrollments decreased, except for science courses.
  Language for comparison:

- Highest:

The figure for A is the highest

- Lowest:

… while B ranked / remained at the bottom.

… while B had the smallest share/ proportion.

… while that for B is the lowest.

- A CHANGE IN POSITION:

A was replaced by B towards the end of the period shown.

A lost its dominant position to B towards the end of the period shown.

B took a dominant position of A towards the end of the period shown.

- SAME START, DIFFERENT TREND:

While A and B have similar beginnings/ starts, they take very different paths in the
following years.

III. BODY

 Grouping categories

Discussing category: Linking phrases:

 Looking (first) at + [category],  Besides,
 Regarding [category],  Additionally,
 As for [category]  In addition,
 In terms of [category],  Furthermore,
 Moreover,
 On top of that,

 Contrast & similarity phrases:

Contrast: Similarity:
 However  Similarly,
 On the contrary,  Likewise,
  On the other hand,  In the same way/ In a similar trend
 By contrast,
 While/ Whereas/ Whilst
 Although/ Even though/ Though
 Despite
 Nevertheless/ Nonetheless/
Notwithstanding

Ex:

- While there are 4 million miles of train lines in the UK, there are only 3 million in
France.

- Although 15% of the French read novels, only 5% of the British do.

- Despite having increased slightly to 20 million in 2000, the number of cars went down
significantly to only 2 million at the end of the period.

- The number of female football players experienced an increase of 20%. By contrast,

that of male football players decreased by 10%.