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Interpreting Graphs

The bar chart shows how often people in the USA visited fast food restaurants in 2003, 2006, and 2013. While most people ate fast food once a week in 2003 and 2006, most ate fast food once or twice a month by 2013. The percentage of people eating fast food daily was always below 5%.

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33 views7 pages

Interpreting Graphs

The bar chart shows how often people in the USA visited fast food restaurants in 2003, 2006, and 2013. While most people ate fast food once a week in 2003 and 2006, most ate fast food once or twice a month by 2013. The percentage of people eating fast food daily was always below 5%.

Uploaded by

silwalprabhakar77
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 7

- I.B.

Nirdosh, New Capital College

9. Interpreting Graphs and Charts


You should write at least 150 words

Tips for writing


1. Identify the main idea behind the graph or table. This will be the focus of your
first sentence. Read the title of the graph or chart. The title tells what information is
being displayed.
2. Consider the details of what is being shown - the units of measurement and the
time frame - and decide how much you need to include. Look for differences in the
heights of the bars. The bars show the value for the groups.
3. Consider the language to use - the introductory expressions, the tenses of the
verbs, the correct expressions of time and measurement etc. Compare bars within
the clusters to understand the proportions of subcategories within each main group.
4. The first paragraph is short. It should simply say what the chart shows and where
and when it describes.
5. Avoid repeating words in the question. Instead, use other words with the same or
similar meaning. Compare bars from the same subcategory across clusters.
6. Describe the trends you can see. Use numbers from the chart.
7. To sum up, highlight the most important things the information shows you can
also say what is likely to happen in the future. Draw conclusions based on the data.
You can reach conclusions faster with graphs than you can using a data table or a
written description of the data.
8. Don’t try to explain the chart. In this type of exam question, you just have to
describe what happened, not to say why it happened.

Introductory Expression
• The graph/table shows/indicates/illustrates/reveals/represents...
• It is clear from the graph/table...
• It can be seen from the graph/table...
• As the graph/table shows,...
• As can be seen from the graph/table,...
• As is shown by the graph/table,...
• As is illustrated by the graph/table,...
• From the graph/table it is clear....
It is highly important to avoid personal pronouns. Instead of saying We can see
from the graph...,
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- I.B. Nirdosh, New Capital College

it is better to use the passive or impersonal constructions (It can be seen from
the graph…)
The charts below show the proportion of people’s total spending on different commodities
and services in a particular European country in 1998 and 2008.

The charts give information about how people in a European country spent their
money on different commodities and services in 1998 and 2008.

In general, the proportions of expenditure on electronic goods and clothing were


the highest in both surveyed years. Additionally, most of the given categories saw
a decrease in their figures, while the expenses for clothing and electronic goods
occupied larger proportions of people’s spending.

In 1998, 16% of people’s budget was spent on electronic goods, which was 4%
higher than the percentage spent on clothing. Meanwhile, the amount of money
spent on holidays and eating out accounted for 8% and 6% respectively. Only 3%
of people’s expenditure was used to purchase newspapers and magazines, and an
additional 3% for going to the cinema.

The proportion of money spent on clothing rose by 6% in 2008, while that of


electronic goods saw a 4% growth. In contrast, the percentage of expenditure
used for taking holidays dropped to 5%, while that of eating out remained
unchanged. Notably, people reduced their spending on newspapers and
magazines, and going to the cinema, down to 1% for each.

2
- I.B. Nirdosh, New Capital College

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- I.B. Nirdosh, New Capital College

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- I.B. Nirdosh, New Capital College

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- I.B. Nirdosh, New Capital College

Read the model interpretation of a line graph. Focus your attention on bold
words.

The line graph compares the fast-food consumption of teenagers in Australia


between 1975 and 2000, a period of 25 years. Overall, the consumption of fish and
chips declined over the period, whereas the amount of pizza and hamburgers that
were eaten increased.
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.
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.

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- I.B. Nirdosh, New Capital College

Interpret the information given in the following chart


The above bar chart illustrates how often people went to fast food restaurants in the
USA in the 3 years (2003, 2006 and 2013).
Overall, even though the proportion of people having their meals at fast food
restaurants only once per week was the most significant between 2003 and 2006, it
was replaced by a group representing people who ate there either one or two times a
month in 2013. Furthermore, the lowest percentage was reached by people eating
there on a daily basis.
First of all, in the start of the period, people having fast food once a week
stood at just over 30% and rose to around 33% in 2006, after which it experienced a
drop to approximately 5% in 2013. In contrast, the group comprised of people who
went to restaurants once or twice a month witnessed a decline of 10% between 2003
and 2006. Following this, it surpassed people eating fast food every week by rising
to roughly speaking 33% in the final year of the period.
Regarding the lowest percentages, people consuming fast food at restaurants
every day remained below 5% throughout the period given. Similarly, the second
least serious percentages were reached by people who have never been to fast food
restaurants over a 10 year period. Initially, it settled at 10% in 2003 and dwindled
slightly over the following years.

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