Describing Graphs!

• Line Graph
• Table
• Pie chart
• Process diagram
• The line graph below shows changes in the amount and type of fast food consumed by Australian teenagers
from 1975 to 2000.
• Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

There are three basic things you need to structure

• Introduce the graph
• Give an overview
• Give the detail
1. Introduce the Graph
• you need to begin with one or two
sentences that state what the graph
shows. To do this, paraphrase the
title of the graph, making sure you
put in a time frame if there is one.

The line graph compares the fast food

consumption of teenagers in Australia
between 1975 and 2000, a period of
25 years.
2. Give an Overview (Trends/conclusion)
• You also need to state what the main trend or trends in
the graph are. Don’t give detail such as data here – you
are just looking for something that describes what is
happening overall.

• One thing that stands out in this graph is that one type of
fast food fell over the period, whilst the other two
increased, so this would be a good overview.

Overall, the consumption of fish and chips declined over

the period, whereas the amount of pizza and hamburgers
that were eaten increased.

This covers the main changes that took place over the
whole period. You may sometimes see this overview as a
conclusion
3. Give the Detail
you must make reference to the data. The key is to group
data together where there are patterns. To do this you
need to identify any similarities and differences.

Look at the graph – what things are similar and what

things are different?

As we have already identified in the overview, the

consumption of fish and chips declined over the period,
whereas the amount of pizza and hamburgers that were
eaten increased.
So it is clear that pizza and hamburgers were following a
similar pattern, but fish and chips were different. On this
basis, you can use these as your ‘groups’, and focus one
paragraph on fish and chip and the other one on pizza
and hamburgers.
 In 1975, the most popular fast food with Australian teenagers
was fish and chips, being eaten 100 times a year. This was far
higher than Pizza and hamburgers, which were consumed
approximately 5 times a year. However, apart from a brief rise
again from 1980 to 1985, the consumption of fish and chips
gradually declined over the 25 year timescale to finish at just
under 40. (talk about fish and chips)

The second body then focuses on the other foods:

In sharp contrast to this, teenagers ate the other two fast foods at
much higher levels. Pizza consumption increased gradually until it
overtook the consumption of fish and chips in 1990. It then
levelled off from 1995 to 2000. The biggest rise was seen in
hamburgers as the occasions they were eaten increased sharply
throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, exceeding that of fish and chips
in 1985. It finished at the same level that fish and chips began,
with consumption at 100 times a year.
Describing a Graph Over Time
• is always important to check whether there is a time frame or not. If
there is, you will need to use the language of change.
• When detailing the data, you must also compare and group
data together to make sure you have a well organized and coherent
answer. To do this, you need to look for similarities and differences
when you first analyze the graph
1. Language of change

The bar chart illustrates the download rate per week of ActiveX, Java and
Net computer packages over a period of five weeks. It can clearly be seen
that ActiveX was the most popular computer package to download, whilst
Net was the least popular of the three.

To begin, downloads of ActiveX and Java showed similar patterns, with

both gradually increasing from week 1 to week 5. However, the purchases
of Active X remained significantly higher than that of the other product
over this time frame. In week 1, purchases of ActiveX stood at around
75,000, while those of Java were about 30,000 lower. With the exception
of a slight fall in week 4, downloading of ActiveX kept increasing until it
reached a peak in the final week of just over 120,000. Java downloads also
increased at a steady rate, finishing the period at 80,000. (talk about group
java+activeX)

The product that was downloaded the least was Net. This began at slightly
under 40,000, and, in contrast to the other two products, fell over the next
two weeks to reach a low of approximately 25,000. It then increased
sharply over the following two weeks to finish at about 50,000, which was
Language of Change

As you can see, there are several examples of this in the graph:
• gradually increasing (pelan2 naik)
• a slight fall (turun dikit)
• kept rising (naik terus, tetap naik)
• reached a peak (mencapai puncak)
• increased at a steady rate (naik secara stabil dalam rate yang sama)
• Fell (turun/jatuh)
• increased sharply (naik secara pesat/tajam)
• a low of (turun sebesar)
• finish at
• stood at (tetap berada pada…)
• finishing the period at …

2. Making Comparisons
• you must also compare the data as
you are asked to do.
• If you just write about what
happened to ActiveX, what happened
to Java, and what happened to Net,
without showing any relationship
between them, this won’t be enough.
• Here are some examples of where
comparisons are made between the
products in the graph,
it can clearly be seen that ActiveX was the most
popular computer package to download, whilst Net was
the least popular of the three
Downloads of ActiveX and Java showed similar patterns,
with both gradually increasing from week 1 to week 5
However, the purchases of Active X remained
significantly higher than that of the other product over this
time frame. In week 1, purchases of ActiveX stood at
around 75,000, while those of Java were about
30,000 lower
Java downloads also increased at a steady rate, finishing
the period at 80,000
The product that was downloaded the least was Net. This
began at slightly under 40,000, and, in contrast to the
other two products, fell over the next two weeks
It then increased sharply over the following two weeks to
finish at about 50,000, which was well below
that of ActiveX
3. Grouping the Data
• It is a good idea to divide your
answer into paragraphs so it is
well organized. To do this, you
should group similar
things together into paragraphs
or sections.
• If you look at the chart, you will To begin, downloads of ActiveX and Java showed a similar
trend, with both gradually increasing from week 1 to week 5.
see that ActiveX and Java have a However, the purchases of Active X remained significantly
similar pattern, both steadily higher than that of the other product over this time frame. In
increasing over the period week 1, purchases of ActiveX stood at around 75,000, while
(apart from the slight fall of those of Java were about 30,000 lower. With the exception of
a slight fall in week 4, downloading of ActiveX kept rising until
ActiveX in week 4) it reached a peak in the final week of just over 120,000. Java
downloads also increased at a steady rate, finishing the
period at 80,000.
• On the other hand, Net is the lowest and it has
a different pattern – falling and then rising
again. So this could be described in another
paragraph.
Body Paragraph Two:
• The product that was downloaded the least
was Net. This began at slightly under 40,000,
and, in contrast to the other two products, fell
over the next two weeks to a low of
approximately 25,000. It then increased sharply
over the following two weeks to finish at about
50,000, which was well below that of ActiveX.
Pie Chart
• The pie charts show the main reasons for migration to and from the UK in 2007.
• Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.
The pie charts illustrate the primary reasons that people came
to and left the UK in 2007. At first glance it is clear that the
main factor influencing this decision was employment.

Having a definite job accounted for 30 per cent of immigration

to the UK, and this figure was very similar for emigration, at
29%. A large number of people, 22%, also emigrated because
they were looking for a job, though the proportion of people
entering the UK for this purpose was noticeably lower at less
than a fifth.

Another major factor influencing a move to the UK was for

formal study, with over a quarter of people immigrating for this
reason. However, interestingly, only a small minority, 4%, left
for this.

The proportions of those moving to join a family member were

quite similar for immigration and emigration, at 15% and 13%
respectively. Although a significant number of people (32%)
gave ‘other’ reasons or did not give a reason why they
emigrated, this accounted for only 17% with regards to
immigration.
Make it easy to read Choose the most important points
to write about first
These will be the largest ones. As
you can see in the model answer,
definite job, looking for work, and
formal study were all written about
first, in order of importance, as
these are the main reasons that
were chosen for moving.

Items such as ‘other’ are usually less

important and account for small
amounts, so can be left till the end.
Vary your language
• As with any task 1, this is important. You should not
keep repeating the same structures. The key language
when you write about pie charts is proportions and
percentages.
• Common phrases to see are "the proportion of…" or
"the percentage of…"

However, you can also use other words and fractions.

These are some examples from the model answer:
• A large number of people
• over a quarter of people (lebih dari 25%)
• a small minority
• A significant number of people
• less than a fifth (kurang dari 1/5)
his table presents some
examples of how you can
change percentages to 45% more than two fifths
fractions or ratios:
40% two-fifths
Percentage Fraction
35% more than a third
80% four-fifths 30% less than a third
75% three-quarters 25% a quarter
70% seven in ten 20% a fifth
65% two-thirds 15% less than a fifth
60% three-fifths 10% one in ten
55% more than half 5%one in twenty
50% half
if the percentages are not exact as above, then you can use qualifiers to
make sure your description remains accurate. Here are some examples:

Percentage Qualifier
77% just over three quarters (lebih dari ¾ atau 75%)
77% approximately three quarters (kurang lebih ¾)
49% just under a half (sedikit dibawah setengah)
49% nearly a half (hampir setengah)
32% almost a third (hamper satu pertiga/33%)
Changing % into phrase
some examples of how you can change percentages to other phrases:
Percentage proportion / number / amount / majority / minority

• 75% - 85% : a very large majority

• 65% - 75% : a significant proportion
• 10% - 15% : a minority
• 5%: a very small number
3. Process Diagram
1. Introduce the diagram
2. Give an overview of the main point/s
3. Give the detail

The diagram illustrates the process that

is used to manufacture bricks for the
building industry.

Summarize the information by selecting

and reporting the main features and
make comparisons where relevant.
• Introduce the Diagram
The diagram explains the way in which bricks are made for the building industry.
• A process diagram is different to a line, bar, pie chart or table in that
there are not usually key changes or trends to identify. As there are no
trends to comment on, you can make a comment on, for example, the
number of stages in the process and how it begins and ends:

Overall, there are eight stages in the process, beginning with the digging up of
clay and culminating in delivery.
*Overview bisa dilakukan dengan menjelaskan jumlah fase/stages
Give the Detail Now you need to explain the \process diagram, and there are two key aspects of
language associated with this:
• 1) Time Connectors : A process is a series of events, one taking place after
the other.  Therefore, to connect your stages, you should use ‘ time
connectors’. 

To begin, the clay used to make the bricks is dug up from

the ground by a large digger. This clay is then placed onto
a metal grid, which is used to break up the clay into smaller
pieces. A roller assists in this process.
Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, and
this mixture is turned into two differing types of brick by
either placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter. Next,
these bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 – 48 hours.
In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating
and cooling process. They are heated in a kiln at a
moderate and then a high temperature (ranging from
200c to 1300c), followed by a cooling process in a
chamber for 2 – 3 days. Finally, the bricks are packed and
delivered to their destinations.
• These connectors are the same you would use to write a graph over time when you explain a
series of changes.. These are some common process diagram connectors:
To begin
Following this
Next
Then
After
After that
Before**
Subsequently
Finally

** If you use before, this means that you will be mentioning a later stage before an earlier
stage, so you need to use it carefully.  If you can use it properly though, it will get noticed. 
Here is an example using stages four and five:
Before being dried in the oven, the mixture is turned into bricks by either placing it into a mould or using
a wire cutter.
• 2) The Passive

When we describe a process that involves humans (a man-made process as opposed to

a natural one), the focus is on the activities, NOT the person doing them. 
When this is the case, we use the passive voice, not the active. For a natural process, such as
the life-cycle of a frog, we use active as there is not a person doing the activity in the diagram.

Most sentences use this structure:

Subject + Verb + Object
A large digger digs up the clay in the ground.
in the active voice (as above), the digger is doing the verb i.e. the digger is doing the digging.

When we use the passive voice, we make the object (the clay) the subject, and make the
subject (the digger) the object. We also add in the verb ‘to be’ and the past participle (or Verb
3).
(S) The clay in the ground (V) is dug up (O) by the digger.
So throughout most of your description for your process diagram,
you should be using the passive voice. 

This is difficult as some verbs cannot take the passive. For

example, 'to go' cannot be passive, so it is kept in the active voice:
...the bricks go through a heating and cooling process.
This is why you need to make sure you practice the passive so
you know exactly how to use it.Also, as you will see from the
description, it is more usual to to comment on who or what is
doing the action so the 'by...." phrase is excluded.
To begin, the clay (which) is used to make the bricks is
dug up from the ground by a large digger. This
clay is then placed onto a metal grid, onto a metal grid,
which is used to break up the clay into smaller pieces.
A roller assists in this process.

Following this, sand and water are added to the clay,

and this mixture is turned into bricks by either placing
it into a mould or using a wire cutter. Next, these
bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 – 48 hours.

In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a

heating and cooling process. They are heated in a kiln
at a moderate and then a high temperature (ranging
from 200c to 1300c), followed by a cooling process in a
chamber for 2 – 3 days. Finally, the bricks are
packed and delivered to their destinations.
Table
Country GNP per head Daily calorie supply Life expectancy at Infant mortality 
(1982: US dollars) per head birth (years) (per 1000 live
births
Bangladesh 140 1877 40 132
Bolivia 570 2086 50 124
Egypt 690 2950 56 97
Indonesia 580 2296 49 87
USA 13160 3653 74 12

As with all graphs and charts, when describing tables:

• Do not describe all the data presented - present the main points of each feature (you should make sure you
mention each feature though)
• Look for significant data; e.g. the highest, the lowest etc
• Try to group the data. This may require you to use some general knowledge about the world, such as recognising
developed and developing countries
• What is the table measuring?
• What type of language do you need to use (Change? Comparing and contrasing?)
• What tense would you use?
• Which country has the best quality of life and which has the worst?
• What information could you use for an overview / conclusion?
• How could you group the information?
• How many paragraphs would you have and what you would write about in each
one?
Table-Making a Plan

PLAN
Topic – standard of living, 5 countries
Language – comparison
Time / tense – 1982 = past
Overview – USA far higher
Groups –
USA = highest
Egypt, Indo, Bol = similar
Bangladesh = very low
The table uses four economic indicators to show the standard of living in five selected countries in
1982 (topic).  Overall, it can be seen that the quality of life in the USA was far higher than the
other four countries.(overview)
To begin, the USA, which is a developed country, had the highest GNP at 13,160 dollars per head. 
It also had a much higher daily calorie intake and life expectancy, and the lowest rate of infant
mortality. (berbicara ttg group 1: USA)
The other developing countries had quality of life ratings that were significantly lower.  The range
of indicators for Egypt, Indonesia and Bolivia were similar, with Egypt having the highest quality of
life amongst the three.  However, the infant mortality rate in Egypt’s was slightly higher
than Indonesia’s at 97 deaths per 1000 compared to 87 in Indonesia. (berbicara mengenai group
2: blv, ind,Egypt)
Bangladesh had by far the lowest quality of life in all the indicators.  Its GNP was one hundred
times smaller than the USA’s.  Its calorie intake and life expectancy were about half those of the
USA, and its infant mortality rate was 10 times greater. (berbicara mengenai group 3: Bangladesh)
 Describing Graph Trends-Language of
Change
example
increase verb: to increase, is increasing, has increased, Total expenditure increased from $33,611m to $39,165m
increased from 1995 to 1996.
noun: an increase of $5,554m From 1995 to 1996 there was an increase in expenditure
an increase in spending of $5,554m of $5,554m
decrease verb: to decrease, is decreasing, has decreased, Expenditure on primary education decreased from 22.2%
decreased to 21.5% from 1995 to 1996.
noun: a decrease of 0.7% From 1995 to 1996 there was a decrease in expenditure
a decrease in spending of 0.7% of 0.7%.
rise verb: to rise, is rising, has risen, rose Total expenditure rose from $33,611m to $39,165m from
1995 to 1996
noun: a rise of $5,554m From 1995 to 1996 there was a rise in expenditure of
a rise in spending of $5,554m $5,554m
fall verb: to fall, is falling, has fallen, fell Expenditure on primary education fell from 22.2% to
21.5% from 1995 to 1996.
noun: a fall of 0.7% From 1995 to 1996 there was a fall in expenditure of
a fall in spending of 0.7% 0.7%.
drop verb: to drop, is dropping, has dropped, dropped Expenditure on primary education dropped from 22.2% to
21.5% from 1995 to 1996.
noun: a drop of 0.7% From 1995 to 1996 there was a drop in expenditure of
a drop in spending of 0.7% 0.7%.
-Ing form After an introductory clause that
includes some analysis; e.g.
'Spending rose in all three years',
an '_ing' form can be used to
describe numbers and dates. .
Spending rose in all three years,
increasing from 17.6% to 18% from
1995 to 1996, and then rising again
to 18.2% in 1997-8
 Breakdown of spending 1995-6 1996-7 1997-8
Total expenditure ($ million) 33,611 39,165 45,315
As % of government budget 17.6% 18% 18.2%
% spent on      
•primary education 22.2% 21.5% 21.6%
•secondary education 33.7% 33.2% 33.5%
•tertiary education 35.9% 36.7% 35.9%

Public expenditure on education in Hong Kong (1) increases/ increased/increasing continuously from 1995 to 1998. In
academic year 1995-6 it (2) was/ rose to/ reached HK$33,611 million, (3) increased/ dropping/ rising to $39,165 million
in 1996-7 and $45,315 million in 1997-8. As a percentage of the government’s budget spending on education also (4)
an increase/ increased/ increasing each year, from 17.6% to 18% and then to 18.2%.

However, the percentage of expenditure spent on primary, secondary and tertiary education did not show the same
consistent (5) rise/ rose/ rising. In 1995-6 expenditure on primary education was 22.2% of the education budget,
33.7% (6) spent/ spending/ was spent on secondary, and 35.9% on tertiary.

In 1996, (7) an increase/ increase/ was increased of 0.8% in spending on tertiary education was financed by a (8)
increase/ drop/dropped in spending of 0.7% in primary and 0.5% in secondary schooling.

In 1997-8 tertiary spending as a percent of the education budget (9) dropped/ increased/ returned to its 1995-6 level.
The percentage spent on primary education (10) rised/ rose/ increase to 21.6% and that on secondary to 33.5%, both
figures being less than 1995-6 levels.
Compare and Contrast- Language for Graphs
To begin, take a look at the graph below.
Which country has the highest level of pollution?
Which country has the lowest?
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Being able to compare and contrast data is an essential skill for IELTS writing,
especially in Task 1. Comparatives and superlatives are one common way to do this.

Comparatives are used to compare two things:

Leopards are faster than tigers.

Superlatives are used to compare one thing against a group of others:

The leopard is the largest of the four big cats.

Transitions
The Middle East produces high levels of oil; however, Japan produces none.
The USA produces large amounts of natural gas. In contrast, South Korea produces none.
European countries make great use of solar power. On the other hand, most Asian countries us this method of power
generation very little.

Subordinating Conjunctions
The Middle East produces high levels of oil, whereas / while Japan produces none.
Whereas / While the Middle East produces high levels of oil, Japan produces none.
Although the Middle East produced 100 tons oil, Japan produced none.

Other Structures
Developing countries are more reliant on alternative energy production than developed countries.
Solar power accounts for far less of the total energy production than gas or coal does.
Hydropower is not as efficient as wind power. (Atau as the same as those/that of)
Like Japan, South Korea does not produce any natural gas.
The Middle East produces twice as much oil as Europe.
Western countries consume three times more oil than the Middle East.
Russia consumes slightly more oil than Germany.
The UAE produced the same amount of oil as Saudi Arabia.
Using Approximate Data: When you compare and contrast, you also need to learn phrases so you
can refer to data that is not exact.

For example:
7.1 M tonnes
can be paraphrased into
“just over 7 million tonnes”
“approximately 7 million tonnes”

65.6
“nearly 70 million tonnes”
“almost 70 million tonnes”
In the initial paragraph, you need to paraphrase the question. Start the
paraphrase with one of the following prompts,
• ‘The table shows/illustrates the trends in .... between .......
• The graph shows......
• The chart shows how the ..... have changed ......
The graph shows the number of car journeys into the city centre made by residents and non-residents over a ten year period. In
1996 an average of just under 10,000 journeys per day were being made by residents, while approximately half that number were
made by non-residents. Over the subsequent three years, resident journeys remained reasonably stable, while non-resident
journeys increased each year, exceeding 8,000 per day in 1999.
In early 2000, parking meters were introduced into the city centre, and this had the effect of virtually halving resident traffic,
although non-resident traffic decreased only slightly. By the end of 2002, the number of resident journeys had not altered
significantly, but non-resident journeys had risen to their 1999 level. At this point, Westgate Street and Park Lane were
pedestrianised. This resulted in a dramatic decline in non-resident traffic, and a slight decrease in resident traffic. From this point
onward, resident traffic remained more or less at the same level, while non-resident traffic resumed its upward trend, reaching
nearly 5,000 journeys per day in 2005.