OVERVIEW ON

GRAPHS/CHARTS
WITH TRENDS

Ms. Ta Thi Thanh Hien, M.A.

 OBJECTIVES

1 3

the general techniques in

structure of grouping the data
a report on 2 or outlining the
graphs/charts techniques in information shown
with trends writing the
opening
statement and the
overview
 1. Lead-in (pair-work):
1.1. Think about these
questions before you start.
a. What is the main idea of the line
graph?
the earnings of four types of café
b. What are the trends for the four
cafes’ sales over the whole
period?
significant changes in the
monthly income of all four cafes
c. Can you give a comment on a
special feature shown in the line
graph?
tea room witnessed a considerable decrease
1.2. Are these sentences about the data shown in the line graph TRUE (T) or FALSE (F)?
a. There are two basic general trends:
downward and fluctuation.
b. The earnings for the Tea Room were down
over the year, falling significantly from almost
$160,000 a month to just under $40,000 in
December.
c. There was a rise in Café Cool’s sales over the
first ten months, followed by a sudden increase
to $120,000.
d. The income for Wi-fi Café was upward,
doubling from $50,000 to nearly $100,000
between January and June, and then rocketed
to around $190,000 in December.
e. The income for the Tea Room was lower in
the winter months than for the other three cafes.
1.3. Sample 1:
1.3. Sample 2:
 2. WRITING OPENING STATEMENT
2.2. LANGUAGE NOTES
Type of chart Verb Description (what / where / when)

The line illustrates the number of ….

graph pie compares the proportion of…
chart bar presents the sales figures…
chart describes how many...+ S + V
table provides information on how much… + S + V
 2. WRITING OPENING STATEMENT
2.2. Examples

- The graph shows the income of four cafes in New York over last
year.
- The graph presents the earnings of four cafes in New York
during 12 months last year.
- The line graph provides information on/about the amount of
money which was earned by four cafes in New York last year.
- The line graph illustrates how much money was earned by four
cafes in New York during 12 months last year.
 2. WRITING OPENING STATEMENT
- The line graph illustrates the proportion of goods (which
2.3. More Examples was) transported by road, water, rail and pipeline in the
United Kingdom from 1974 to 2002.
- The line graph presents the quantity of goods (in
millions of tons) which was carried by four means of
transport in the United Kingdom between 1974 and 2002.
- The line graph illustrates the change(s) in the proportion of
goods transported by road, water, rail and pipeline in the
United Kingdom during a 28 year period from 1974 to
2002.
- The line graph provides information on how much goods
was transported by road, water, rail and pipeline in the
United Kingdom over/during a 28-year period between
1974 and 2002.
- The line graph provides information on HOW the
proportion of goods which was transported by road,
water, rail and pipeline CHANGED in the United
Kingdom over/during a 28-year period between 1974
and 2002.
 3. WRITING OVERVIEW PARAGRAPH
3.1. trends + most special feature(s)
It can be seen from the graph / table that
As the graph / table shows,
As can be seen from the graph / table,
As is shown by the graph / table,
From the graph / table, it is clear / obvious / apparent / that
Overall, _____________
It is noticeable to see that _______________ _____________
In general, _____________
It is not surprising that _____________

NOTE: An overview DOES NOT INCLUDE personal

opinions and reasons for the overall trends or pattern
shown in the graphs/charts.
 3. WRITING OVERVIEW PARAGRAPH
3.2. Examples
Overall, / It can be obviously seen that / What stands out from the line graph
is that the quantity of goods transported by road, water and pipeline ROSE
WHILE the quantity of goods that of goods/ the corresponding figure for
goods carried by rail followed A DOWNWARD trend during the period. It is
ALSO noticeable that/ Another striking feature shown by the data is that road
was always/consistently the most used/popular means of transport for goods as
opposed to pipeline.
 4. GROUPING THE DATA - OUTLINING

 Describe the highest data over the period

 Briefly/Simply describe data with no significant change
 Group the common data
5. PRACTICE
 Practice 1:
Opening 1
The line graph presented the proportion of young people who take up
four different kinds of outdoor sports in the South West of England from
1975 up till now. I
Reason: The verb “presented” is in the past tense.
Overview 1
It is noticeable that the percentage of young people who swim rose sharply
from under 15% to 35%. I
Reason: The overview is supposed not to contain facts because these have
already mentioned in the body paragraphs. Moreover, the tense of the verb
“rose” is not correct. It must be “has risen”.
Opening 2
I The line graph illustrates the percentage of young people taking
part in different outdoor sports from 1975 to the present year in the
South West of England. I
Reason: The first statement copies the question.
Overview 2
I Overall, there are two basic general trends: upward and
downward. It can be seen clearly that ball games were the most popular I
in the past.
Opening 3
The line graph provides information on the proportion of young people who
participate in four outdoor sports in the South West of England from 1975
up till now. A
Overview 3
Overall, during the period, there has been a fall in the percentage of young
people who take part in certain outdoor sports, but not all the outdoor
sports have become less popular. It is also obvious that swimming is the
most popular sportAnow.
Opening 4
The line graph presents how many young people join four different kinds of
outdoor sports in the South West of England since 1975. Obviously, swimming is
the most popular sport now. I
Reason: The first statement is ok but the second statement is not the overview of
the graph. It should focus on the trends.
Overview 4
Obviously, swimming has become more and more popular because it is an easy
way to help people keep fit and healthy. I
Reason: The overview is supposed not to contain the reasons for the facts shown in
the graph.
 Practice 2 – Task 1

You should spend about 20

minutes on this task.
The chart below shows the
number of marriages and
divorces in the United
Kingdom from 1961 to 2001.
Summarize the information by
selecting and reporting the
main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150
words.
 Sample 1: 1. Overview
1. Opening
- The bar chart provides information
about the number of marriages,
divorces and remarriages per
thousand in the United Kingdom
from 1961 to 2001.
- The bar chart illustrates how many
marriages, divorces and remarriages
there were in the United Kingdom
from 1961 to 2001.
- It can be clearly seen that the number of
first marriages decreased in the 1961-
2001 period, while the figure of divorces
and remarriages increased. It is noticeable
that at the beginning of the period, there
were significantly more first marriages
than divorces and remarriages.
- As can be seen from the chart, there
were fewer first marriages between 1961
and 2001 period, while the figure of
divorces and remarriages increased. It is
noticeable that at the beginning of the
period, there were significantly more first
marriages than divorces and remarriages.
 Practice 2 – Task 2

You should spend about 20

minutes on this task.
The graph below shows the
percentage of households who
had cars in Great Britain from
1961 to 2000.
Summarize the information by
selecting and reporting the main
features and make comparisons
where relevant.
You should write at least 150
words.
 Sample 2:
1. Opening 1. Overview
- The line graph provides - Overall, the number of households
information on the percentage of which had cars rose while that of those
households with car ownership in without cars fell over the period/ the
Great Britain between 1961 and number of household which had two
2000. or more cars rose sharply as opposed
- The line graph illustrates the to that of those which had no cars. It is
regular use of cars by different noticeable that at the beginning of the
households in Great Britain over period, there were significantly more
a 39-year-period from 1961 to families without cars than those with
2000. at least one car.
 Practice 2 – Task 3

You should spend about 20 minutes

on this task.
The charts show changes in
spending habits of people in the
UK between 1971 and 2001.
Summarize the information by
selecting and reporting the main
features and make comparisons
where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
 Sample 3:
1. Opening
- The provided pie charts give information
on the spending habits of UK citizens in
1971 and 2001.
- The pie charts illustrate the changes in
household spending in the UK between
1971 and 2001.
- The pie charts provide a statistical
comparison on the difference in spending
by the UK residents in 1971 and 2001.
- The pie charts compare the proportion of
expenditure of British citizens in different
categories in 1971 with that of 2001.
1. Overview
- As an overall trend, increased (amounts of
budget) spent on cars and computers were
made up for by drops in expenditure on
petrol, furniture, and eating out. Whereas in
1971 people spend most of the money for
furniture and fuel, cars and computers have
become the main investment in 2001.
- As is observed from the charts, the
expenditure on petrol, furniture, and
restaurants reduced significantly while the
amount spent on cars and computers
increased in the UK. It is noticeable that the
cost of fuel made up the largest proportion of
the household spending in 1971 while
expenditure on cars was the greatest share (of
the household spending) in 2001.
 Practice 2 – Task 4
Spending in UK: visitors from Europe and purpose of
visit 2002 to 2006
You should spend about 20
Spending (£ million) Grow
minutes on this task. th
The table shows spending 2005
- 06
in the UK by visitors from
Europe 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Europe and purpose of visit
between 2002 and 2006. Holiday 1,640 1,784 2,141 2,373 2,655 11.9
Summarize the information by
Business 1,833 1,848 1,994 2,237 2,614 16.9
selecting and reporting the
main features and make Visiting 1,061 1,273 1,471 1,655 1,830 10.5
comparisons where relevant. friends
/relatives
You should write at least 150 Miscellaneous 1,001 962 1,002 1,365 1,454 6.5
words.
All visits 5,549 5,882 6,623 7,656 8,573 12.0
 Sample 4: 1. Overview
1. Opening
The table depicts the reasons why
people from Europe came to the UK
and the amount of money they spent
from 2002 to 2006.
- Overall, it is clear that the amount of
money Europeans spent for different
reasons in the UK increased over the
period. It is also noticeable that visitors
from Europe seem to spend more on
holidays and business in the UK between
2002 and 2006.
- (upward trend): Holiday, business,
visiting friends
- (erratic trend): Miscellaneous
6. FURTHER PRACTICE - ANSWER
 6. FURTHER PRACTICE - ANSWER
percentage
Australia 1999
highest ranked

figures undergraduate

skilled vocational diploma

significant difference proportions
90%
the same
However highest
accounted 70%
ranked whereas
a narrow margin
females latter
 THINGS TO REMEMBER
Structure of a Assessment Grouping the
Kinds of graphs
report criteria data
• Task achievement
• Grammatical • Upward vs. Downward
• Line graphs with • Opening statement +
range and • Upward + downward vs.
trends Overview
accuracy Fluctuation
• Bar charts with trends • Body paragraphs
• (Closing satement) • Lexical resources • Upward (from strongest
• Pie charts with trends
• Coherence and rise to the lowest rise)
cohesion
Thank you for your attention!