DIAGRAMS WITH A TIME PERIOD

Exercise B:

Introduction:

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General statement:

There is usually no need to look at any data between the start and the end of the time period. This will
make the information too specific for a general statement.

The diagram:

- Three categories: Windows, Google, and iPod  three trends

- The revenue for each company in the first quarter of 2004 and the fourth quarter of 2006 
rose
 The trend is increasing for all three categories.

Take a look at the following examples of general statements, and decide which ones you think could
be used for the diagram:
1. Generally speaking, the three lines in the diagram fluctuated a lot.
2. It can be clearly seen that, while sales for all categories rose over this time period, figures for
Windows were usually higher than the other two.
3. In general, all three categories went up over this time period.
4. Revenue for Windows was nearly always higher than the other two categories, Google and iPod,
over a three-year period from 2004 to 2006.
5. An overview of this diagram shows that Windows climbed gradually and fell at the end, Google
went up dramatically and iPod fluctuated a lot.
6. A closer look at the diagram highlights the fact the revenue for all three categories, Windows,
Google, and iPod, rose over this period of time.

Vocabulary
- Do not use the words UP and DOWN in any part of Task 1 writing
- Look at the list of vocabulary given here and put them into the correct column

UP DOWN

Verb tenses
- Both the simple present and simple past verb tenses can be used.
- It is more usual, for diagrams with or without a time period, to use the simple past.

Adjectives/Adverbs
Sales grew dramatically from US$10,000 in 1987 to US$35,000 in 2007, a climb of US$25,000.

 It is quite descriptive. It can be improved by adding the reason why these particular figures have
been quoted.

The biggest overall increase in sales was in Brazil where figures grew dramatically from US$10,000 in
1987 to US$35,000 in 2007, a climb of US$25,000.
 DIAGRAMS WITH NO TIME PERIOD
Some diagrams have no time period. This makes it impossible to write about trends because nothing
changes. We can still write the general statement by referring to:

- The category with the largest figure

- The category with the smallest figure

*Note: do not mention these two important points again when you write the body. For example:
In general, the city with the largest population was Beijing whereas the city with the smallest
population was Berlin.

More specifically, the city with the largest population was Bejing with 10.1 million people whereas
Berlin had the smallest population with 3.4 million.

 It seems repetitive.

A useful tip: divide the categories into different groups. For example:

In general, the city with the largest population was in Asia, whereas the smallest city was in Europe.

More specifically, Beijing had the largest population with 10.1 million people, making it just under
three times larger than the smallest city, Berlin, with 3.4 million residents.
Exercise for dividing the categories: