Dynamic Charts

While Static Charts usually have only one specific time point, Dynamic Charts can have anywhere
from 2 to 8 time points, and sometimes even as many as 20. So, selecting, grouping, and arranging
data is very important.

Example of a Dynamic Chart question

Diagram 1: The tables show how many international students studied in Canada and the United
States by country of origin in 2002 and 2003.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.

HOW TO WRITE AN INTRODUCTION

Step 1: Identify the elements in the question

Exercise 1: Can you identify these elements in the question?
Graph type:
Unit:
Category:
What:
Where:
When:
Step 2: Write the introduction following the structure
Graph type + Verb + What + Where + When

HOW TO WRITE AN OVERVIEW FOR A DYNAMIC CHART

We need to provide two key pieces of information:
1.​ Trends
2.​ Highlights

1. Trends
Upward trend: If the final time point shows a higher value than the initial time point.
Downward trend: If the final time point shows a lower value than the initial time point.
With diagram 1, we have:

Overall, the total number of international students in Canada from the three surveyed countries all
experienced an increasing trend, contributing to a significant overall increase. Similarly, the total
number of international students in the United States also increased, with two out of three
countries showing an upward trend.
2. Highlights
In the (2) Highlights section, we will focus on the "highest" and "lowest" category/subject of the
chart, such as the highest/lowest, and the most significant increase/decrease.

Regarding the most significant increase:

The number of international students in Canada originating from China witnessed the most
significant increase, while the number of Canadian students in the USA experienced the highest
growth rate.

Regarding the highest counts:

Canada received the largest number of international students from China, while the highest count
of international students in America was from India.

Note: When writing an overview, it is essential not to include all the "highlights" or "trends"
you find but rather focus on the most prominent or the most overarching information.

Exercise 3: Read the following overviews and decide if they are too long, incomplete, or
well-written:

1.​ Overall, the total number of international students in Canada from the three surveyed
countries all experienced an increasing trend, and the country’s overall international
student count also significantly rose. Similarly, the total number of American international
students also increased, with two out of three surveyed countries showing an upward trend.
Additionally, Canada received the largest number of international students from China,
while the highest count of American international students was from India.
 2.​ Overall, the total number of international students in both Canada and America
experienced an increasing trend.

3.​ The number of international students in Canada originating from China witnessed the
most significant increase, while the number of Canadian students in the USA experienced
the highest growth rate. Canada received the largest number of international students from
China, while the highest count of international students in America was from India.

4.​ Overall, international student enrollments from all three surveyed countries in Canada
increased, contributing to a significant overall increase. International student numbers in
the USA saw rises in two out of three surveyed countries, except for India. Despite this,
India remained the top contributor to the USA’s international student population.

HOW TO ORGANIZE THE DATA INTO TWO BODY PARAGRAPHS:

A Task 1 Dynamic Chart essay can be structured in two common ways:

1. Time-Based Division

With this method, we divide the essay into two time periods, the first half and the second half of
the surveyed time frame. The first body paragraph discusses the data from the first half, while the
second body paragraph reports on the data from the second half. For example, if we use this
approach for Diagram 1, the essay structure will be:

Body paragraph 1: Describe the 2002 data

Body paragraph 2: Describe the 2003 data

This method may be more suitable for essays with fewer time points. For essays with more than
10 time points, often seen in line graphs, this data-grouping structure might not work well.

2. Category-Based Division/Subject-Based Division

With this approach, you focus on categories that have increased in one body paragraph and those
that have decreased in the other, or by placing the highest-count categories in one paragraph and
the lower-count categories in the other.
For Diagram 1, you can describe the first chart in Section 1 and the second chart in Section 2.
Specifically:
Body paragraph 1: Describe the data for Canada
Body paragraph 2: Describe the data for the USA

HOW TO STRUCTURE THE BODY PARAGRAPHS

1. Functions of each sentence
A complete essay body usually consists of 4-5 sentences, each with different functions. Typically
the sentences can be arranged as follows:
Sentence 1: Summarize the main information of the paragraph (If possible) (a topic sentence).
Sentence 2: Detailed description of the data for the subject with the most significant changes.
Sentence 3: Transition to the remaining categories.
Sentence 4: Detailed description of the data for these categories.

(1) The number of international students in Canada from China, the USA, and India all witnessed
increases, but to varying extents. (2) Chinese student enrollment saw the most substantial increase,
from 5,400 students in 2002 to 7,850 students in 2003, which is also the highest figure among the
three countries. (3) Canada also welcomed more American and Indian students over the surveyed
period. (4) American student enrollments increased slightly by 9% from 5,000 to 5,450 students,
and Indian students witnessed a whopping 35% increase to 2,835 students in 2003. (5) In total,
international students studying in Canada rose by 10,000 students over the years.
Exercise 4: Based on the above outline, can you write a full paragraph to describe the figures for
the USA?

Exercise 5: Read the samples below and answer the questions

Ver 1: The USA attracted significantly more students than Canada. The biggest contributor is
India, at 200,000 students in 2002. Although this figure declined by 9% to 182,000 students in
2003, India still remained the first rank. On the other hand, the numbers of Chinese and Canadian
students pursuing education on American soil both rose by 6-7% to reach 116,000 and 33,000
respectively. Overall, after one year, the total quantity of international students in America
increased slightly by 2% to 592,230 students, nearly ten times that of Canada.

Ver 2: In 2002, 200,000 Indian students came to the USA to study. However, in 2003, only
182,000 students came there. The quantity of Chinese students who came to the USA to study
stood at 110,000 in 2002. It then increased by 6% to reach 116,600 students in 2003. Similarly, the
number of Canadian students also increased by 7%, from 31,000 to 33,170 students. In total, the
total figure rose by 2% to 592,230 students.

1.​ Which version provides more key features?

2.​ Which version maintains better cohesion and flow between sentences and paragraphs?
3.​ Which one has a more effective structure for presenting the data?
4.​ Which one employs more appropriate and precise language to convey the information?
5.​ Which version shows a wider range of grammar?
Comprehension Practice 1:
The bar chart below shows the percentage of government spending on roads and transport in 4
countries in the years 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005.

Comprehension Practice 2:
The graph shows the rates of participation in three different activities in a UK sports club between
1995 and 2015.