IELTS Writing, Task 1 - Graph

Description
Understanding and correctly interpreting graphs
Describing graphs using comparative forms
Describing graphs using noun phrases

1 IELTS Writing Task 1: Overview and Typical Problems

1.1 Overview
IELTS writing Task One requires you to describe a graph, chart, table or diagram.
You must write at least 150 words, and should allow about 20 minutes.
Usually some kind of statistical information is represented in graphic form, and you
must translate this into a readable text.
Occasionally candidates will be asked to describe a process which is illustrated by a
labelled diagram (such as the process of making cheese, or how a central-heating system
works).

1.2 Typical Student Problems

Not Understanding the Data (I) - Not Reading the Labels: Students do not
correctly understand the data in the charts: often they do not carefully read the
labels (e.g. student writes 250 people were unemployed in London in 1982' , when they
should write 250 thousand people were unemployed in London in 1982' )
Not Understanding the Data (II) - Not Applying Common Sense to your
Interpretations: Students do not apply their common sense to the interpretation of data
in the charts (e.g., in the example above, common sense should tell us that it was
impossible that only 250 people were unemployed in London in 1982; we should then
analyse the chart carefully to find a more satisfactory interpretation).
Just Listing' the Data: Students simply list' data from charts or graphs without trying
to indicate what is more or less significant . You should look for the more important or
interesting data, and present it first (for example large differences or changes).
Not Translating' Note Form to Grammatical English: Students often write the
labels or titles directly as they appear in the chart. However, these are usually in note
form', so need to be changed into grammatically correct English in your writing. For
example, in a chart describing the life expectancy of smokers and non-smokers, one label
may be Non-Smoking' - meaning non-smoking people '. It would therefore be
ungrammatical to say the average life-expectancy ofnon-smoking in the UK was 72' ; we

need to change the label to a form such as the average life-expectancy of non-smokers in
the UK was 72' .
Incorrect Use of Noun Phrases: When we describe data in charts we have to use
noun phrases, such as the number of white unemployed people', or the percentage of
male non-smokers in the UK '. Correct use of such forms often presents difficulty for
students.

2 Understanding and Correctly Interpreting Graphs

2.1 Task: Graph Interpretation

Look at Graphs A, B & C and then answer the questions which follow:

Graph A

Graph B

Graph C

2.1.1 Questions
What was the main difference between Whites and other ethnic groups in terms of
unemployment?
What was the general trend in female unemployment compared to male unemployment?
Is it significant that Black-non-Hispanics made up 11% of the total US population, but
40% of the homeless population? Why is / isn't this significant?
How does this compare to the position of White non-Hispanics in the US ?
Are there any similarities in the data in charts about the US (A and B) compared to the
chart about the UK (C)?

3 Describing Graphs using Comparative Forms

IELTS Task 1 questions typically require candidates to compare data within, and/or
between graphs and charts. Thus the use of comparative forms is required.
We will focus here on comparative and superlative adjectives , and on logical connectors of
comparison and contrast .

3.1 Explanation: Comparative & Superlative Adjectives

richer than the richest more expensive than the most expensive
Rule 1: Add er'/est' for one-syllable adjectives: longer, smaller, the highest
Rule 2: Add more' / less' or the most' / the least' for three syllable adjectives or
longer: less expensive, the most dangerous
Rule 3: Most two-syllable adjectives require more' / less' / the most' / the least': more
stressful
Rule 4: Two-syllable adjectives ending in y' require ier' / iest' : noisier, noisy
Rule 5: Adjectives ending in a single vowel and a single consonant require the final
consonant to be doubled: big , the biggest, fat, fatter

3.2 Explanation: Logical Connectors of Comparison & Contrast

Simple Comparison: while [difference is not seen as surprising / unusual]
- There was 10% unemployment in London , while in Manchester there was 9%.

Contrast: but, although, while, however [difference is seen as surprising / unusual]

- Although most cities had unemployment rates of 8-11%, in Liverpool it was 15%.
- Most cities had unemployment rates of 8-11%, although / while / but in Liverpool it was
15%.
- Most cities had unemployment rates of 8-11%. However in Liverpool it was 15%.

3.3 Task: Graph Description using Comparative Forms

Look at Graph D below, which illustrates data relating to education and homelessness in
the USA.
Fill in the gaps in the text which follows, using the correct form (superlative or
comparative) of these words:

successful (x1), good (x1), bad (x2), while (x2), high (x1), low (x2)
More than one answer may be possible in some cases.

Graph D

The chart shows the educational achievements of homeless people in America (divided into
those in families and single homeless people) compared to those of all US adults, for the
year 1997. The (i) _ worst__ ___ educational attainment was for homeless people in
families (53% with less than a high-school diploma), (ii) _________ the (iii) ________
results were for all US adults (45% or more with a high-school diploma). Single homeless
people were (iv) ___________ than those in families: the percentage of single homeless
without a high-school diploma was much (v) _________ than for homeless people in
families (37% compared to 53%), (vi) ________ the percentage having only high-school
diplomas was much (vii) _________ (36% compared to 21%). Having said this, similar
percentages of homeless people in families and single homeless people had more than a
high-school diploma: 27% and 28% respectively. In sum, it is clear that homeless people
had (viii) _______ educational attainments than US adults as a whole, and that homeless
people in families had (ix) ________ levels of achievement than single homeless.

4 Describing Graphs using Noun Phrases

4.1 Overview
Describing data in charts requires that we translate' statistical information into
grammatically correct sentences.
Students can have particular problems doing this when they are required to
produce complex noun phrases .
Noun phrases perform the same grammatical function as nouns which are single words:
for example they can be the subject or object of a verb, the object of a preposition, etc.
However, noun phrases consist of a number of words, and in academic English can often
be long and complex.
Noun phrases always have a head noun', which is then modified by (further described
by) other elements of the phrase (adjectives, relative clauses, prepositional phrases, etc).
Examples of noun phrases (head noun underlined):
the man who works in that shop
people who live in glass houses
the car in the picture
Asian-heritage children who live in the UK but who do not speak their heritage language
Examples of noun phrases used within sentences:
- The man who works in that shop used to live next door to me.
(noun phrase is subject of the verb)
- I saw a film last night about people who live in glass houses .
(noun phrase is object of a preposition)
- I don't like the car in the picture .
(noun phrase is object of the verb)
- The graph presents data about Asian-heritage children who live in the UK
but who do not speak their heritage language.
(noun phrase is object of a proposition)

4.2 Noun Phrases used in Chart Descriptions

4.2.1 Introducing the Description

Typical ways to introduce the description of a graph include:

The chart shows + noun phrase
The chart describes + noun phrase
For the chart above we could say:
The chart shows data about homelessness in the US in terms of race / ethnicity.
The chart describes the race / ethnicity of homeless people in the US.

TIP - The introductory sentence often contains a re-wording of the title of the graph.

4.2.2 Comparing Data

In order to effectively compare data within a graph or table, or between two graphs or
tables, it is necessary to create noun phrases by transforming the labels in the graphic
(which will usually be single words, or in ungrammatical note-form) into fully grammatical
phrases which agree grammatically with the rest of your sentence.
For example, we see in the graph:
Black Non-Hispanic (39.6%)
Such a label needs to be transformed in order to fit into a grammatical sentence, e.g.:
The percentage of black non-Hispanic homeless people (39.6%) was almost
equal to the percentage of white non-Hispanic homeless (40.6%).
Equally, while the title of the graph is US Homelessness by Race / Ethnicity', the term
homelessness' may need to be adapted to fit grammatically within a particular sentence,
e.g.:
The percentage of homeless people was highest for the white non- Hispanic group.

4.2.3 Task

Choose the best option to make the sentences grammatically accurate:

a) The largest percentage of ______________ were white non-Hispanics (40.6%).
i) homeless people
ii) homelessness people
iii) homelessness

b) The smallest percentage of homelessness was among other' racial / ethnic groups,
while the second smallest percentage was for ______________ - at 7.9%.
i) Native American
ii) Native Americans
iii) Native America

c) The largest ______________________was that of white non-Hispanics (40.6%).

However black non-Hispanic homeless people accounted for virtually the same percentage:
39.6.

i) homelessness percent
ii) percent homeless
iii) percentage of homeless people

5 Final Task
Using graphs A and B above (data about homelessness and population in the USA, by race
/ ethnicity), write a description of the data. Compare information both within and between
the graphs, indicating significant points (i.e. largest and smallest percentages, similarities
and differences).
Write around 150 words.

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Click here for the answers to Describing Graphs........

Graph Description - Answers

2.1
Whites had far lower levels of unemployment than other ethnic groups.
In general female unemployment rates were lower than male unemployment rates.
It is significant that Black non-Hispanics made up 11% of the total US population, but
40% of the homeless population, because this shows that homelessness among Black nonHispanic people is much higher than can be explained only by their percentage of the
population.

 Although White non-Hispanic people make up the vast majority of the US population
(76%), they represent only 40.6% of the homeless. Although this figure is slightly more
than for Black non-Hispanic people (at 39.6%), the reality is that compared to their
proportion of the population, many more Black non-Hispanic people are homeless than
White non-Hispanics.
The key similarity between the information about the US (graphs A and B) and the UK
(graph C) is that white people have much lower levels of homelessness / unemployment,
relative to the percentage of the population they represent, than other groups.

3.3
worst
while
best
more successful
lower (or worse')
while
higher
worse (or lower')
lower (or worse')

4.2.3
i
ii
iii

5 Final Task
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Please note that the free materials available here are copyright, and may not be
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permission of ClearpointEnglish.

How to describe charts in English

There are various types of charts. In the following example we show the numbers of pets
in Year 7 of a school.

Types of charts
Charts

English

table

pie chart

bar chart

line graph

List with phrases to describe charts

The pie chart is about ...
The bar chart deals with ...
The line graph (clearly) shows ...
The slices of the pie chart compare the ...
The chart is divided into ... parts.
It highlights ...
... has the largest (number of) ...
... has the second largest (number of) ...
... is as big as ...
... is twice as big as ...
... is bigger than ...
more than ... per cent ...
only one third ...
less than half ...
The number ...
increases/goes up/grows
by ...
The number ...
decreases/goes down/sinks
by ...
The number ...
does not change/remains stable

I was really surprised/shocked by the ...

So we can say ...

Use of Tenses
Mind the correct use of tenses when describung a chart. If the charts deals with facts in
the present (as in our example), use the Simple Present, if the facts are the past, then use
the Simple Past. If there is a connction between the past and the present, use the Present
Perfect.

How to describe a chart

With the following example we would like to show you how charts are described. Mind the
three parts and do not repeat the global message in the conclusion.

A) Pets in Year 7 at a school

We have chosen the pie chart because we think it shows the number of pets in Year 7
best.

1) Introduction
Here you say what the diagram is about. Mind the title of it and do not forget to include
the source.
The pie chart is about the pets in Year 7. The chart is divided into 5 parts. It is taken
from ...
2) Message of the diagram
The largest number of pets are in form 7GI. There are 16 pets.
The second largest number of pets are in form 7HK. There are 8 pets.
So there are more than twice as many pets in form 7GI.
The chart shows that there are only 2 pets in form 7CS and 3 in form 7VR.

3) Conclusion
So we can say that the most pets of Year 7 are in form 7GI and the least in form
7CS. There aremore than 50 per cent of all the pets in one form - form 7GI.

B) Population growth in Canada

This graph shows the growth of the population in Canada from 1978 to 2009. It is taken
from the website about Statistics in Canada.
There are three graphs in the chart. The green graph shows the total growth of the
population, the black one deals with the migrated people in Canada and the blue graph
shows the natural increase of the population. In 1988/89 there was an enourmous growth.
In the following years the total growth went down to about 250,000 in 1998/99. From that
time on the Canadian population has been gradually growing again although the natural
increase slows down. So we can say that the growth of the population in Canada is based
on migration.

In the English-speaking business world you may have to discuss the information on
graphs. Here we take a look at some of the vocabulary we use to describe graph trends.

Going Up
rose
increased
went up
grew

Going Down
decreased
fell
dropped
declined

No Change
stayed the same
remained constant
levelled off
stabilised

Up and Down
fluctuated
zig-zagged
fluttered
undulated

Small Changes - Adjectives / Adverbs

gently
gradually
slightly
steadily

Big Changes - Adverbs / Adjectives

suddenly
sharply
dramatically
steeply
a lot

Low Points
bottomed out
reached a low

Describing trends

Introduction
How do charts help describe and illustrate the points we make in our
presentations?
What makes a chart/graph a successful cart/graph?

Learning
How would do you illustrate the trends described in the text below with a
chart?
The Microsoft share price began 2000 at just over $110. Over the next three
months it fluctuated dramatically, falling as low as $90 before returning to
original level. However, in March 2000 it suddenly plummeted, loosing over
$40 by April. Although the speed of the fall slowed slightly, it continued down
to $60 by May. A brief recovery took the prices back to $80, where it
remained stable until July. It then started to decline steadily over the next
three months falling as low as $50 by November. The year 2000 ended more
encouragingly for Microsoft with shares back at the $70. However, 2001
started badly with shares dropping to a two-year low of $43 by the end of
January. A reasonably quick recovery took shares back above $60 in February
and further steady progress saw them back above $70 by May. Unfortunately,
prices fell sharply again, back down to almost $50 by October. The shares
recovered well over the last two months to finish at the $70 mark.
Which words/phrases helped you to do the graph?
What are the other possible alternatives to express the same ideas?
List as many synonyms as you can remember.
To indicate tendencies or vectors of movement you may use the following
verbs:

Upward change
To rise;
To increase;
To go;
To grow;
To climb;
To boom;
To show / see an upward trend;
To jump;
To rocket;
To recover;
To improve;
To surge;
To shoot up;
To soar;

To expand;
To take off;
To rally;
To put up;
To strengthen;
To bounce back;
To double;
To pick up;
To creep up;

Downward change
To fall;
To decrease;
To decline;
To dip;
To drop;
To slump;
To deteriorate;
To go down;
To reduce;
To lower;
To slip back;
To cut;
To shrink;
To halve;
To show / see a downward trend;
To weaken;
To slide;
To hit a low;
To plunge;
To plummet;
To collapse;
To crash;
To slump;
To bottom out;
To have a trough;

Stability
To level out / off (at);
Do not change;
To remained stable (at);
To remained steady (at);
To maintain at the same level;
To stay the same;
To stabilise;
To be / remain flat;

Fluctuation
To fluctuate (around);
To vary;
To peaked (at);
To plateau (at);
To stand (at);
To be volatile;
It is worth mentioning that the majority of the given verbs have a noun form:
Unemployment levels fell; or
There was a fall in unemployment levels;
Besides that, the preposition "by" is used with the verbs, and "of" with the
nouns:
It increased by 20%;
There was an increase of 5%;
You should not forget the difference in use of the verbs:
To rise (without object)

Gas prices rose in June;

Others include: went down / fell / decline;
To raise (with an object)

The oil industry raised the prices in May;

Others include: cut / lowered / reduced;
Some words (increase, decrease) may be used with or without an object;

Adjectives
considerable;
dramatic;
drastic;
enormous;
gradual;
huge;
marked;
minimal;
moderate;
quick;
rapid;
sharp;
significant;

slight;
slow;
small;
steady;
steep;
substantial;
sudden;
swift;
temporary;
wild;

Adverbs
considerably;
dramatically;
drastically;
enormously;
gradually;
markedly;
minimally;
moderately;
quickly;
rapidly;
sharply;
significantly;
slightly;
slowly;
steadily;
steeply;
substantially;
suddenly;
swiftly;
temporarily;
wildly;
Its also important to remember that adjectives are used to modify nouns
whereas adverbs are used to modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs and
clauses;

Generalizations
a great deal more than;
a way over;
about;
almost;
approximately;
around;
far less than;
just over;
just short of;

just under;
nearly;
not quite;
nothing like as mush as;
nowhere near;
roughly;
slightly more than;
somewhere in the region of;
well over;
well under;
Some useful phrases:

As can be seen from the chart, last year started on a positive note;
Initially;
At the beginning;
There was a sharp fall during March;
Over the summer was flat;
In mid-April the prices started to rally strongly;
In autumn the market remained more or less unchanged, failing to
break through the springs highs;
Over the last few months the market has advanced again;
In March the consumer spending was up and was close to reaching a
high again;
This was followed by;
There was a;
In this year it started (to) / v-ing;
Show an upward trend;
Changed very little;
Diverged significantly;
Recovered slightly;
Continued an upward trend with some fluctuations;
Over the period from to ;
Despite an overall increase, the figures were characterized by a
number of peaks and troughs over the years;
It then fluctuated around this level;

Practice
Choose the words and phrases which you liked or you were particularly
interested in and describe this chart here: