1、Describing and Analysing GRAPHS AND CHARTS,Graphs & charts,Pie chart Bar chart (histogram) Table Line chart (graph),BEC Higher Writing Test: Part One,BEC Higher (the 3rd version) P44: Exam format Approach,DESCRIBING GRAPHS AND CHARTS：Pie Charts,Pie charts are relatively straightforward as they only
2、usually have a few sections though this is not always the case. You need to describe the segments and their values. If there are very many then just describe the ones that are the most significant. The values are often expressed in percentages but not always so be careful what scale you are using.,T
3、his pie chart shows the percentages of different types of energy consumed in the US in 2007. Most of the energy, 39.24%, came from petroleum. The next largest source of energy is . It is interesting to note that renewable energy, which is healthier for the environment and sustainable, accounts for t
4、he smallest percent of the consumption.,Bar Charts,Hopefully you will have described the title of the bar chart in your introduction so you can go straight into the description. Basically, with a bar chart, you need to describe the bars and their values. When describing a bar chart you first have to
5、 decide in what order to describe the bars, highest value to lowest value or lowest value to highest value. It may be a mixture of this. If there are very many bars, you can sometimes group together for description 1 or 2 or 3 bars which have similar or the same values. If there are very many and yo
6、u cant group them, then just describe the ones that are the most significant.,Tables,These can sometimes be tricky as they provide a lot of information and it is often awkward and difficult to describe every piece of information. You have to decide and describe the values and sections that are the m
7、ost significant.,Line graph,The function of a line graph is to describe a TREND. You therefore should try and describe the trend in it. If there are many lines in the graph(s), then just generally describe the trend. If there is only one or two, then use more detail. So, describe the movement of the
8、 line(s) of the graph giving numerical detail at the important points of the line.,To describe the movement, there is some language which will always be useful. There is a list of words/phrases you can use. As you will see, there are a number of words which are similar in meaning. This means that yo
9、u will be able to use a variety of vocabulary which gives a good impression to the examiner who will read and mark your writing. The words below are particularly useful for line graphs but they can also be used where appropriate to describe the other types of graph.,Vocabulary：Expressing the Movemen
10、t of a Line,Increase; rise; climb; boom；go up; grow; double; triple; gain; jump; soar; surge; rocket; leap; accelerate; shoot up; peak; summit, recover, improve, reach; level off Decrease; descend; fall; go down, slide; slip; decline; reduce; drop; dip；shrink; dwindle; be halved; tumble; plummet; pl
11、unge; collapse; slump; diminish; bottom out Fluctuate, vary, upward/downward trend Remain stable (at)；Remain steady (at)；Stay (at)；Stay constant (at)；Maintain the same level,Adjectives & Adverbs,Dramatic，dramatically；Sharp，sharply；Huge，hugely；Enormous，enormously；Steep，steeply；Substantial，substantial
12、ly；Considerable，considerably；Significant，significantly；Marked，markedly；Moderate，moderately；Slight，slightly；Minimal，minimally；Rapid，rapidly；Quick，quickly；Swift，swiftly；Sudden，suddenly；Steady，steadily；Gradual，gradually；Slow，slowly；Small；heavily, stable, general, smoothly,Some useful sentences,1. The t
13、able shows the changes in the number of.over the period from.to.该表格描述了在.年之.年间.数量的变化. 2. The bar chart illustrates that.该柱状图展示了. 3. The graph provides some interesting data regarding. 该图为我们提供了有关.有趣数据. 4. The diagram shows (that).该图向我们展示了. 5. The pie graph depicts (that).该圆形图揭示了. 6. This is a cure gra
14、ph which describes the trend of. 这个曲线图描述了.的趋势.,7. The figures/statistics show (that).数据(字)表明. 8. The tree diagram reveals how.该树型图向我们揭示了如何. 9. The data/statistics/figures lead us to the conclusion that. 这些数据资料令我们得出结论. 10. As is shown/demonstrated/exhibited in the diagram/graph/chart/table.如图所示. 11.
15、According to the chart/figures.根据这些表(数字). 12. As is shown in the table.如表格所示. 13. As can be seen from the diagram，great changes have taken place in.从图中可以看出，.发生了巨大变化.,14. From the table/chart/diagram/figure，we can see clearly that.or it is clear/apparent from the chart that.从图表我们可以很清楚(明显)看到. 15. This
16、 table shows the changing proportion of a & b from.to. 该表格描述了.年到.年间a与b的比例关系. 16. The graph, shows the general trend in.该图描述了.总的趋势. 17. As can be seen from the graph，the two curves show the fluctuation of.如图所示，两条曲线描述了.的波动情况. 18. Over the period from.to.the.remained level.在.至.期间.基本不变. 19. In the year
17、between.and.在.年到.期间. 20. In the 3 years spanning from 1995 through 1998.1995年至1998三年里. 21. From then on/from this time onwards.从那时起. 22. The number of.remained steady/stable from (month/year) to (month/year)月(年)至.月(年).的数量基本不变.,23. The number sharply went up to.数字急剧上升至. 24. The percentage of.stayed t
18、he same between.and.至.期间.的比率维持不变. 25. The figures peaked at.in (month/year) 数目在月(年)达到顶点，为. 26. The percentage remained steady at.比率维持在. 27. The percentage of.is slightly larger/smaller than that of. .的比例比.的比例略高(低). 28. There is not a great deal of difference between.and与.的区别不大. 29. The graphs show a
19、 threefold increase in the number of. 该图表表明.的数目增长了三倍. 30. .decreased year by year while.increased steadily逐年减少，而.逐步上升.,31. The situation reached a peak (a high point at) of %的情况(局势)到达顶(高)点，为.百分点. 32. The figures/situation bottomed out in.数字(情况)在.达到底部. 33. The figures reached the bottom/a low point/h
20、it a trough.低谷期 数字(情况)达到底部(低谷). 34. A is .times as much/many as b.a是b的.倍. 35. A increased by.a增长了. 36. A increased to.a增长到. 37. high/low/great/small/ percentage.比低高(低) 38. There is an upward trend in the number of数字呈上升趋势.,39. A considerable increase/decrease occurred from.to到.发生急剧上升. 40. from.to.the
21、 rate of decrease slows down.从.到.，下降速率减慢. 41. from this year on，there was a gradual decline reduction in the.，reaching a figure of.从这年起，.逐渐下降至. 42. be similar to.与.相似 43. be the same as.与.相同 44. There are a lot of similarities/differences between.and. 与.之间有许多相似(不同)之处 45. A has something in common wi
22、th b a与b有共同之处. 46. The difference between A and B lies in.a与b之间的差别在于. 47. .(year) witnessed/saw a sharp rise in年.急剧上升,Lets define the various parts of a line graph.,Title: The title of the line graph tells us what the graph is about. Labels: The horizontal label across the bottom and the vertical la
23、bel along the side tells us what kinds of facts are listed. Scales: The horizontal scale across the bottom and the vertical scale along the side tell us how much or how many. Points: The points or dots on the graph show us the facts. Lines: The lines connecting the points give estimates of the value
24、s between the points.,KEY SKILL 1: Asking and answering questions about graphs,Now that we are familiar with the parts of a line graph, we can answer some questions about each graph.1.What is the title of this line graph? 2.What is the range of values on the horizontal scale? 3.What is the range of
25、values on the vertical scale? 4.How many points are in the graph? 5.What was the lowest and what was the highest point? 6. At what point did the data rise or fall?,QUESTION 1.What is the line graph about? 2.What is the busiest time of day at the store? 3.At what time does business start to slow down
26、? 4.How many people are in the store when it opens? 5.About how many people are in the store at 2:30 pm? 6.What was the greatest number of people in the store? 7.What was the least number of people in the store?,QUESTION 1.What is the line graph about? 2.At what age do teens have the greatest number
27、 cell phones? 3.At what age do teens have the least number of cell phones? 4.What was the greatest number of cell phones at any age? 5.What was the least number of cell phones at any age?,KEY SKILL 2: make notes,Study the graph(s) and decide what general trends they show and what you can conclude fr
28、om these. Make short notes on what you are going to say.,Make brief notes: P44,Steady rise in the number of cars and population over the period 1980 to 2020 The population more or less doubles to nearly 8 billion The probable consequences are a lot more congestion and pollution,从1830年到1950年，芝加哥的人口显著
29、增加。 在1950年达到高峰，人口约360万人。 1950年至1990年的人口稳步下降。 1990年至2000年有轻微上升至约290万人。,From 1830 to 1950 the population of Chicago increased significantly. The population peaked in 1950 at approximately 3.6 million people. Between 1950 and 1990 the population decreased steadily. Between 1990 and 2000 there was a sli
30、ght increase back to approximately 2.9 million people.,This graph shows that after 1997 the average level of Lake Michigan decreased significantly. The level started off in 1988 at 176.6 meters and remained roughly constant until it peaked to 177 meters in 1997. After that it decreased sharply until
31、 2001, when it was approximately 176 meters. For the next five years it slightly increased on average,General upward trend from June to December in 1998 Peaked in January, 1999 fall back to the December level gain in February Fluctuate from March to May Peaked again at the end of May, but then it co
32、llapsed quickly.,Share prices of IBM and America Online over a twelve-month period. (June 1998-1999),JUN,Jul,25,50,75,100,125,150,175,$200,Aug,Sep,Dec,Jan,Jun,Mar,A general upward trend from June until the end of 1998 Drop a little in the last month of 1998 AOL shares continued to rise steadily and
33、reach a peak in April IBM shares fell slightly until March By March both shares were worth about $100 After the peak, AOL shares collapsed to just over $100 per share IBM shares made a steady recovery from April to Jun, finishing at just over $100, almost equal to AOL,The share prices of both IBM an
34、d AOL showed a general upward trend from June until the end of 1998. However, while AOL shares then continued to rise steadily over the next three months, the price of IBM shares fell slightly. By March 1999 both shares were worth about $100. AOL shares then shot up, almost doubling in value within
35、four weeks. They reached a high of $180 in mid-April before collapsing to just over $100 per share at the beginning of May. There was a slight recovery during that month however, despite this, by June 1999 the price of AOL shares was once again about $100.In contrast, despite minor fluctuations, IBM
36、 shares made a steady recovery over the three month period, finishing at just over $100, almost equal to AOL.,Note: The two things we talk about are the differences between the years, and the differences among the categories. Propane丙烷 Kerosene煤油,In 1950 coal, natural gas, and fuel oil accounted for
37、 the highest percentage of home heating sources. By 1997, use of natural gas had soared to become a source for over 50% of home heating. At the same time, use of coal and fuel oil decreased significantly. Electricity grew significantly between the two years as well. It is interesting to note that na
38、tural gas, electricity, and propane are the only sources that saw an increase between 1950 and 1997. This graph shows that in both years people were heavily dependent on non-renewable sources of energy for their home heating needs.,Sales of adventure games increased steadily from 30%-45% Strong grow
39、th in action games for the first three years But dropped sharply in 1998 (action games) Sales of sports games fell from 25% to 15% in 1996 then rise to 20% in 1998 Sales of other games remained steady at 10% in the first two years, fell slightly in 1997 and then recovered in 1998,The most successful
40、 product was adventure games. Sales increased steadily from 30%-45% in the period from 1995 to 1998. There was strong growth in action games for the first three years of the same period. They peaked at 25% in 1997 but dropped sharply in 1998. Sales of sports games fell from 25% to 15% in 1996 then l
41、eveled off in 1997 and rose to 20% in 1998. Sales of other games remained steady at 10% in 1995 and 1996, fell slightly in 1997 and then recovered in 1998,BEC Higher (3rd version) P45,The graph compares the amount of palm oil held in world stocks over the years 1985 to 2006 with the demand. Over the
42、 period in question demand for palm oil rose steadily from 7,000 tonnes in 1985 to 33,000 tonnes in 2006. During the same period stocks of palm oil also rose, but fluctuated greatly. At all times, ending stocks exceeded demand, but not by the same margin. From 1985 to 1997 eding stocks were between
43、1,300 and 1,700 tonnes, even though demand doubled during the same period.,After 1997 the margin increased significantly, reaching a peak in 2000 of almost 3,000 tonnes compared to the demand of 20,000. for the next five years ending stocks fell back relative to demand. In the last three years the i
44、ndustry seems to have reached a consistent level of ending stocks compared to the demand.,Other Hints,DONT copy any part of the question in your answer. This is not your own work and therefore will be disregarded by the examiner and deducted from the word count. You can use individual words but be c
45、areful of using long “chunks“ . Dont repeat yourself or the same ideas. This gives a bad impression and the examiner realises that it isnt adding to the content of your report. If you are weak at English grammar, try to use short sentences. This allows you to control the grammar and the meaning of y
46、our writing much more easily and contributes to a better cohesion and coherence mark. Its much easier to make things clear in a foreign language if you keep your sentences short!,Other Hints,Think about the tenses of your verbs. If youre writing about something that happened in the past, your verbs
47、will need to be in the past tenses. If youre describing the future, you will need to use the future tenses. If its a habitual action, youll need the present simple tense and so on. For describing graphs you will probably need past tenses whereas. Think about the verbs while practising and then it wi
48、ll become easier when you do the exam.,Dont be irrelevant. Although you can use your imagination to expand on your answer, if any part of your report is totally unrelated to the question and put in to just put up the word count, then the examiner will not take it into account and deduct it from the
49、word count. If you want to improve, theres no secret. Practice. Practice. Practice. You wont get better sitting and doing nothing. Even good English users need practice for the BEC exam.,Finally, there are no correct answers or methods. Here Ive given you some ideas to guide you and hopefully to help you but the questions can be answered well in different ways. Good luck with the BEC Higher Writing Test! I hope that this tutorial has helped you!,
