writing about graphs and tables

8/8/2019 Writing About Graphs and Tables

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VisualsWRITING BOUTGRAPHS,TABLESNDDIAGRAMS

Gabi Duigu


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@ Gabi Duigu 2001All rights reservedPublished by Academic English Press9/13 Armstrong StreetCammeray NS\f 2062AustraliaPh:02 94376330email:[email protected]

Distributedby:Melting Pot Press10 GraftonStreetChippendale S\ ( 2008AustraliaPh: (5r) 29212 1882Fax :02 2111868email:[email protected]

rsBN0-9578996-0-2


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.: ......:.......:............

Part1t . The Purpose f GraphsandTables . . . . . . .2Part 22 . \Wr i t i ngabou tG r aphsandThb les . . . . . . 92 .1 \Wr i t i ng theIn t r oduc t i on . . . . . . 102 .2 T imeExp r ess ions . . . . . . . 132.3 Expressionsf Measurement . . . .15

Part33 . \T r i t i ng theR epo r t . . . . . . 253 .1 C on t r as t . . . . . . . , . 253 .2 T iends . . . . . . 323 .3 C or r e la t i ons . . . . . . 35

Part44. Using he Right sryle . . . .394 .1 Mod i f i e r s . . . 394.2 Using he CorrectSryleandAvoidingErrors . . .48Part55 . D iag r ams . . . 555 .1 Vocabu la r yandG r ammar . . . . . . 555 .2 U s ingagoods r y l e . . . . . . 56Answ er K " y . . . . . 59


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\With thanks to Maryanne Shea or making the book possible,and for herenduring patienceand encouragement.

Many of the graphsand tables n this book are basedon visuals rom variousissues f the UNESCO Courier, to which very worthwhile publication gratefulacknowledgment s made.


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lntroductionand OverviewMany books exist that are guides to academicwriting for native speakers. here arealso a number for non-native speakers.Of these,quite a few dealwith the use ofgraphs, ablesand other visuals.However, they normally explain how to insertor usethesevisuals o make your work more interesting and easy o understand.They donot usually explain how to write about thesevisual aids.

The primary purposeof this book is to help you with the \Writing Thsk I of theIELIS Academic test. Howevet becauset attempts to dealwith the languagerequired in a systematicway, you may find that much of the information it containscould be useful to you later during your studies, f you everneed to use graphs,tablesor the like in your work. So perhapsyou should not give the book away assoon asyou have passed our IELIS.

)i()K)K)t()K

In order to write about visuals,as required in IELIS AcademicWriting Thsk 1, it is

necessaryo understand what to write, aswell as totl to write it. The first sectionofthis book thereforebeginswith a discussionabout the main purpose and featuresofgraphs, ablesand other visuals,and providesexerciseso practise denti$'ing thesecorrectly.The later sections then go on to dealwith the language equired to write aboutthem. There are vocabulary ists, explanationsabout meaning and grammar, andexercises. here is also an Answer Key, and model answersare provided, so that thebook can be used for self-studyas well as class-roomuse.


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2 Visuals:Writing boutGraphs, ables nd Diagrams

Sincemost of the IELTS Academic \Writing Thsk 1 questionsdealwith graphsandrables,and since they require specific nterpretation and writing conyentions,we willfirst focus on these.

A Note on terminology: The IELIS Handbook mentions diagramsand tables.Clearly this includes graphs (the most common visual used n \Writing Task 1)under diagrams.Other books talk about visuals o cover all of these.Youdonot need to worry about this as the label is usually given in the introduction tothe task and you can simply use he sameword in your answer.

1. ThePurpose f Graphs nd TablesIn order to know how to do something properly, t is necessaryo understand heparposeof that thing.tWeactually need to know two things:

a) the purposeof using graphs and tables;andb) the purposeof utriting about the graphsand tables hat have been used.

\Wewill deal with the first one first.

1.1UsingGraphs ndTablesTASK

'Which of the following statements do you think best describe the purpose ofproviding graphs and tables in an academic text?

a) to explain what is in the txt in a different wayb) to provide information which is additional to that provided in the textc) to make it easier o understand he conceptsby using a visual rather thanby just using wordsd) to give an overview or an impression or a summarye) to provide more exact details han is desirable n the text

rc Answer Key


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Visuals:Writing bout Graphs, ables nd Diagrams 3

1.2 Writing bout Graphsand TablesIn real life, the text usually comesfrst, and the graph or table is added to supportthe text. In fact, most books that adviseon writing, explain how to use graphsortables o illustrate the words more cleady.However, in IELTS the reverse ccurs-you are given the graph, table or diagram and must supply the words.

Note that the first of these s the most common task found in the Test, and the onewe are dealinewith now

TASK .\(zhich of the following do you think best describes the purpose of writingabout graphs and tables (in real academic writing)?

a) to explain what is in the graph or table in a different way which makes iteasier o understand

b) to give exactly he same nformation in words, in order to emphasise tc) to expand on what is in the graph or table by giving additional explanations

about the reasons tc.d) to draw attention to the most important aspcts f the information shown

in the graph or table.tc Ansuter Ke!

In Thsk 1 candidatesare asked o look at a diagram or table, and to present heinformation in their own words. Depending on the type of input and the tasksuggested, andidatesare assessedn their abiliry to:

r organise, present and possibly compare data.describe the stagesofa processor procedure.describe an object or event or sequenceofevents. explain how something works

IELTS Handbooh, 1999


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Visuals:Writing boutGraphs, ables nd Diagrams

1.3 Understandinghe PurposeTASK .

Look at the following graph and the descriptions given underneath, and decidewhich one is the most suitable. Try to explain why you think so.

Averagennual rban rowth ates

a) Thisgdph shows he auerage nnualurban groluth rate of 5 continentsfrom 1970to 2025. According to the graph,Africa had about 5o/oauerage nnual urban groutthrate in 1970 and ouer4%oauerage nnual urban grozuth ate in 1995 and in 2025the auerage nnual urban grou.tth ate is expectedo be ust ouer3o/o.For Asia theauerage nnual urban groutth rate was ust ouer3o/o n 1970 and 1995 and it utasexpectedo be about 2o/o n 2025. In Europe, by contrast, lte auerage nnual urbangroutth rat wasonly about 1.5% in 1970 and it went down to about 0.5o/o n1995, and in 2025 it utill be lesshan 0.2o/o. n Latin America tlte auerage nnualurban groutth rate utentfrom just under 4o/o n 1970 to ust ouer2%o n 1995 and ittuill probably be ust ouer 1o/o n 2025. In North America the auerage nnual urbangroluth rAteuAs about 1o/o n 1970 and 1995 and is ffiPectedo stay lte same n 2025.

b) Looking at the graph lae cdn see hat urban {ouath hashappenedon all 5continentssince1970 and that it is expectedo continue right up to 2025. The mostdramatic grouth is in Africa, Asia and Latin America, becAusebese ontinentshaueexperiencedhe mostdeuelopment nd industrialisation since1970, while Europe andNorth America show ess ncrease robably becauseheyalreadystartedbeing moreurbanised. n deuelopingcountriesmary)peoplefom the countrytside re attrdcted t0the citiesto loohfor u,,orhand better opportunities n heahh and education, but thisrapid urbanisation is causingmany problemsand needso be connolled.

Asia Europe Latin NorthAmerica America

ltsto-tsT--l 1995-2000ffiil 2020-2025


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Visuals:Writingabout Graphs, Tablesand Diagrams

) Thegraph shou,,shat since1970 there has beenconsiderable rban grotuth in all 5continents resented and that this trend is expectedo continue at least until2025.Houteuer, he ratefor eacltcontinent ltas not been lte same.The deuelopingcounniesof Afica, Asia and Latin America experienced lte most dramatic growth rates n1975, with Afica hauing around 5o/oPer Annum, Latin America ust ouer 4%oandAsia ouer3o/o. In 1995 these atesdeneased o ust ouer 4o/o n Afica and doun toabout 2o/ofor Latin Anterica, but Asia remainedtlte same.Thisgrouth rate isexpectedo decrease y about 1% for all three continentsbjt theyear 2025.Mennuthile North America is expectedo maintain its groutth rate of 1o/o .a. ouer heentireperiod, tahile Europe, hauing started theperiod at about 1.5o/ogrowth rate isexpectedo reduce his to only about 2% by 2025. a Ansuer Ke!

1500

/

Mil l ion Tons

PaperCarboard1%

Plastic 8%Metal 6%

Glass %

t Porka Beef/Buffalou Poultry.a(0

3020't 00

-ta.---'-+/R . A '. . , . 8 'F-. : : : - - . ts_+

Household aste 999

High-income ountries 5.1=-Middleincome counldies .7 -

Low-incomecounti reso.z

1.4 Understandingifferentypesof Graphs ndTables\7e now need to look more closelyat what graphsand tablesshow,and thedifferencesberween hem.a) 'What features do the following graphs have in common?

Cigarette onsumptionn China WorldMeatProduction,950 90billions:2000

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990

b) Vhat features do the following graphs have in common? How are theydifferent from the previous ones?

Percentagef distributionof Internet-connectedcomputers,y ncome f countlies,uly1999 Food& GardenMaterials 6%

Other ' l %


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Visuals:Writing bout Graphs, ables nd Diagrams

c) 'What about these graphs?Percentaqe of a l l ch i ldren5 - 14 yea-rswh o work 1995

WorldAfrica

tuia

Latin America& CaribbeanOceania

AnnualWaterConsumption:urope

ffieoysIc i t l t

1 50120

Thousands oof Litres(percapita) o30o

d) 'What kind of information do the following tables provide? How does thisdiffer from the graphs?Internet-connectedomputersworldwide,1981-19991987 28,1741988 s6,000'1989 159.0001990 313,000'1991 617,0001992 1,136,0001993 2,056,0001994 3,864,000r 09s 6,642,0001996 12,881,0001997 19,5r+0,0001998 36,739,0001999 56.218,000

The argest umber f oreign tudents y countryof origin,n he 50major ost ountries:995China 115,87'lKorea.Republ icof 69,736Japan 62,324Germany 45,432Greece 43,941Malaysia 41,159lndia 39,626Turkey 37,629Italy 36,515Morocco 34,908France 32,411Canada 28.280United States 27,749

a Ansuer Ke!

Understanding graphs and rables nvolves understanding the following details:1. \X/hat s the information or data in the graph or table abo ut? This

infarrnation is norma$t suppheA uith ilte graplt or tabla,J2" r$fhat are the units of rneasufemeflt used?3. \{hat is the area (place) nvolved ?4. \f,hat is the time-scale nvolved ?5. What is the purpose of the graph or table?

1950 1960 1970 1980 ',I990 2000


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Let us look at the graphsand tablesshown above once more, and answer hefollowing questions:

1. What are the units of measurementused?2.'W-hat s the area(place) nvolved ?3. Vhat is the time-scale nvolved ?4. \What is the purposeof the graph or table?

After examining the graphsand tablesaboveyou will have noticed the following:In the caseof a line graph, the horizontal and vertical axesprovide most of theinformation. Usually trends over a specific period of time are shown in this way.A bar graph shows he samekind of information but with the units presentedasbars or columns.Another kind of bar graph (alsocalled a histogram) may shownumerical distributions rather than changes.Pie graphs show proportions, normally represented s percentages.Thbles give detailed data and may be used to display changes over time or they mayshow distributions of variablesaccording to place, or rype.They usually requiremore interpretation than graphsdo.1.4.1Wedge-shaped raphsThere is one kind of graph that can causeconfusion becauset appears o combinethe featuresof both the pie chart or the bar graph and line graph. Look at thesegraphsand answer he questions hat follow.

TASK4WorldCarbon missionsromFossil uelBurning y Economicegion

Million ons70006000s0004000300020001000

1990 1990


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Visuals:Writingabout Graphs,Tablesan d Diagrams

l. tVhat was the amount of emissions rom industrial countries in 1950?2.'What was the amount of emissions rom developing countries in 1950?3. How much did the Former Eastern Bloc countries emit in 1980?

WorldSpending nAdvertisingrom1985 2000(in5USmil l ions): :Total,,::,:::,:,:::orth Americaffi rrrop"ffi Asia/lacificI utinAmerica

33-olO90c282,OOO

242,000.r9l,ooo

11 4oooIlJ4sog,,i:

4. Did the European countries spend more or less than the Asia/Pacific ones onadvertising in 1985?

5. Did the Latin American countries spend more or less than the Europeanones n 2000?

a Ansuter Ke!

1.4.2CombinedGraphsIt is is very common to find two or more graphspresented ogether.This is usuallydone to show either a comparison, or a more complicatedcorrelation than can beshown in one graph.A correlation is the way two setsof facts are related o each other.The relationshipmay be a change over a period of time, or it may be a possiblecauseand effect link.There is a sectiondealingwith Correlations in more detail, starting on page35.


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Writingabout Graphsand TablesThis section s going ro dealwith selecting he right approachand sryle, earning touse he appropriatevocabulary,and becoming aware of the grammar related o thisvocabulary.The languageof graphsand tables s divided, for convenience into:

introductory expressionstime expressionsterms of measurement

In Part 3 we will deal with:expressionsof comparison and contrastexpressionsfor trendscorrelations

To use his languagecorrectly, t is necessaryo keep the following points in mind:1. You must know the exactmeaning and usageof the terms2. You must know the collocationsof the terms: i.e. you must know which

expressions o together,and which are never found in combination3. You must know the grammatical featuresof the terms4. YOU MUST CAREENOUGH TO BEACCURATE


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10 Visuals:Writing bout Graphs, ables nd Diagrams

\?arningl From the lis* that follow in this.::.rio:l do NOT, in.your own.writing, useanf expressionsou areunfarniliar with. Only use he terms hatyou know, and make sureyou know them correctly.Only selected xamples regiven here. r is essentialor you to haveat leastone of the following ESLdictionaries,which will give you mor examples:

Oxford Advanced frarner"s DictionaryLongman Dictionary of ContemporaryEnglishCollins CoBuild DictionaryCambridgeDictionaryof InternationalEnglish

2.1 Writinghe IntroductionOften the hardestpart of writing anything is writing the introduction. If you haveagood technique for this, then the rest of the task is usually essdifficult.The first thing to note is that writing about visuals s not the sameaswriting anessay. his mans hree things in particular:

1. You are not asked to discuss the information, but generally to 'iwite areport describing" the information.

2. It is not necessary o write an introduction like in an essay or this writingtask You are writing a report, which means that you do not begin with abroad general statement about the topic.

3. You do not need to write a conclusion which gives any kind of opinionabout the significance of the information.

So how do you begin?There are three steps.Step l: Identify the main idea behind the graph or table.This will be the focusofyour first sentence.Step 2: Consider the detailsof what is being shown -the units of measurementand the time frame - and decidehow much you need to include.

Steps1 and 2 involve understandingthe visual.This was discussedn Part 1.Step 3: Consider the language o use the introductory expressions,he tensesof the verbs, he correct expressions f time and I or measurementetc.

For Step3 this section should help you.


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Visuals:Writing bout Graphs, ables nd Diagrams 1 1

2.1,1 What ntroductory xpressionso useThere are three possibleways to start.One is to refer to the visual directly (e.g. Thisgraph shous hepopuktion ofAlia inthe 20th centur!.)Howeve! this method is not advisable, incethe instructions inthe IELIS test will normally give you just this information. If you copy directlyfrom the paper you are wasting time, since the examiner cannot assessour Englishfrom a copied sentence.The secondway is to refer directly to the main message onveyedby the visual (e.g.Tltere was a sharp increasen the population ofAlia in the 20th century.)This way isperfectly acceptable, nd shows hat you are able to recognise he main concept ormssagehat the graph or table shows.The third way combines the two (e.g. Thegraph shouts bat there utasa sharp ncreasein thepopulation ofAlia in the 20th century.)This is also acceptable, and is oftenusedas a convenient way to start. In order to use his method, it is necessaryo usea few fixed expressions, hich refer to the text itself, ike those below.

2.1.2 ntroductory xpressionsThe graph / table shows / indicates / illustrates / reveals / representsIt is clear from the graph / tableIt can be seen from the graph / tableAs the graph / table shows,As can be seen from the graph I table,As is shown by the graph / table,As is illustrated by the graph / table,From the graph / table it is clear

Notice that it is best to avoid using personalpronouns. Instead of saying We can seefom thegraph.... t is better to use he passive r impersonal constructions, as above.Do not forget that the secondway is also very acceptable i.e., not referring to thetext directly at all). There will be more examplesof this in the following pages.Most of the above expressionscan be followed by a clause starting with that.Severalof the above expressions an be followed by a noun or noun phrase.Severalof the aboveexpressionsmust be followed by a main clause.Tiy to identi$' which is which by doing the next exercise.


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12 Visuals:Writing bout Graphs,ablesand Diagrams

TASK :Make all the possible matches between the expressions n the table on the leftwith those on the right:

o Answer KeJt

'Warnings:1. Avoid using the phrase according o the graph. This is because he phraseaccording o generallymeans that the information comes from another person orsource,and not from our own knowledge. (For example,According o tlteHandbook,lou cannot take the exdm more tltan once n three months. According tomyfriend, the essay uestionaas not too dfficuh.)In the caseof a graph or table that is shown, the information is there right infront of you, ,h."*rir.r, and.also he reader,and so you can both 'knoJ it. Thatis, it doesnot come from another source.2. Note that the expressions s cAn be seenfrom hegraphor as s shotttnillustratedby the table do not contain the dummy subiect r. Avoid theseexpressionsf you think you are going to forget this unusual grammar'3. The word preserutrss best avoided, since it requires a sophisticatedsummarising noun ro follow. For example: ThegrdPhpresnts n oueruiew f thepopulation gotath of Alia in the last 20 years.

1.The graphshows indicates I a) that thepopulationofAlia greu',2. It is clear from the table I i" the20th centur!3. It can be seenfrom the graph I O1 ltt groutth in the size of the4. As the table shows, I populationofAlia5. As can be seenfrom the graph, I c) thePoPulation ofAlia grew in the6. As is shown/ llustrated y the graph,| 20th century7. From the graph it is clear


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Visuals:Writing boutGraphs, ables nd Diagrams 13

TASK6Which is the bestthe following?

introductory sentence for a description of this graph from

WorldMeatProduction,950 90Mil l ion Tons80

706050403020l 00

.4 Sheep/Goats1950 1960 1970 198 0 ',1990

.// . no ,,,,r

,,r Potka Beef/BuffaloE Poultry

ts-qt r . - - , a 'e-.,:::- . -- - E

a) This graph sltotas he changes n world rneatProduction betueen 1950 and1990.b) From this graph we cAn see hat mostmeatProduction is a lot higher in 1990

than in 1950.c) Between1950 and 1990 meatproduction in the world rosesignifcantly for all

hinds of meat excePt heep nd goat meat.d) Thegraplt shoutshat in 1950 production ofpoulny and sheepand goat meatwas lesshan 5 million tons,uthileproduction ofpork and beefand buffalo

1nAt as around 20 million tons. rc Ansuter Ke!

fu you can see n the aboveexercise, ou can start your description with a timephrase n somecases:

Betuteen 950 and 1990production ose ignificant[t...Even if you do not begin your sentencwith a time expression,n many cass,particularly those nvolving line graphs, he time frame is given and is an importantelemenrof the visual and will need to be mentioned. For this reason t is importantthat you know how to use he common expressions f time, and that you revisethem from any normal grammar book if they cause ou difficulties.Here are the common ones:

2.2TimeExpressions

in forbetween -and

duringbefore

f r o m - t o / u n t i lafter


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in:In 1999... In the 20th century... In the first ten years...

tltere wasa significant increasen productionfor:For the first six months... For twenry years...

the number of employes remained the same.during:During the first six months... During the first half of this century...During the remainder of the year...

production wasslouing down, while imports increased.f r o m - t o / u n t i l :From August tol until November... From 1950 to 1960...

tltere was no change n energl use.between -and:Berween 950and 1960...

tltere uas no change n the rate offuel consumption.before I after:Before 1960 the number remained small,6u afrcr 1965 t/tere utasa sudden ncrease.around / about:Around / about l9B0 there was a change n the number offemale part-time employees.bytBy the late 19th century the rural workforcehad declinedsignificantQ.at :At the end of the last century tltere utasa sharp ncrease n manufacturing.since:Since the 19th century there has beena steadyd.ecline.Orher usefulexpressionsre:

(in) the period from - to(in) the oeriod between andin the first/last three months of the yearover the period - toover the next years/ decades/ quarter ofa century etc.over a ten year periodthroughout the 19th centuryfrom that time onafter thatthenin the 1980s


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Note that you can refer to a decade as the 1980s etc. There is no apostrophebefore the s.

2.2.1Using he right enses.It is important to select he correct tenses.Points to remember:a) For most visualsa specific ime in the past will be given and you will need touse he past simple tense. f two things took place at the same ime, you mayuse the past continuous tensefor one of them. (\Ylhilepoulny production uasrising during thisperiod, tltereutasno change n mutton production).b) If you usesinceor recent(ly) t means that you are referring to events that havecome up to the present.That meansusing the present perfect tense. ( The useoftlte Internet has risen enormously ince he 1990s.)c) \flith by you will often need to use he past perfect or the future perfect tense

($t the end of the centur! tlte rate of urbanisation had doubled.)

TASKLook again at the graph ofVorld Meat Production (in Tirsk 6) and completethe following statements with a suitable expression of time:

1. Theproduction of sheep nd goat meat remainedalmost unchanged2. theproductionofpork rose harply.3. Pouhry roduction ncreasedlowly

rose ramatically.4. Beefand bffilo productionexperiencedteady routh

and

a Answer Ke!

2.3 Expressionsf MeasurementSince graphsand tablesshow measurements,t is necessary or you to haveaknowledge of the most common terms used to describequantiry and relatedexpressions, nd, as always, o know how to use hem CORRECTLY. The followinslists are there to act asa reminder for you of nouns that you are probably aheadyfamiliar with, and to show you the verbs that they are associated ith, and therypical phrasesusedto describevisual aids.


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1 6 Visuals:Writing bout Graphs, ables nd Diagrams

2.3.1Quantit iesamountfigurethe total quantitythe whole of thethe majoritythe maximum

quanutythe totalthe total numberthe whole amountthe greatest amountthe minimum

It is best o usearTount and quantity for uncountable nouns, although both areused for countable nouns as well, particularly quantity. However, num'ber cangenerallybe safelyusedfor all countable nouns.

The amount of production increasedn the last 20 years'The number of carson the roads ncreasedn the last20 yearl

However, you cannot say *The quantit! ofproduction increased.This is because uantity is only used or items that can actually be measuredorcounted (e.g. ron ore, shares,weapons),not for abstract erms. Sinceamount canbeused more widely (e.g. the Amount of utealth experience waste) t is generally saferto use his word if you are not certain.For number you must of coursehave a plural, countable noun following: the numberof cars; lte number of unemployed eople.

There is some confusion about whether the verb following thesephrases hould bein the singular or plural. Strictly speaking, t should be singular,because he nounnumber is itself singular, so we should say: The number of carsbas increased.Thenumber of unenployedpeople tas drcreased.But you may also come across his kind of sentence Thereare a numberofpeopletaho taue ashedfor this book.This is because n this casewe are thinking about thepeople rather than the number.Thewordf.gure refers o the actual number itself, not the thing that the numberrefers ro: While tlte number of Internet usersu)Asonly 2.6 million in 1990, thisf.gureltas more than doubled n the last tuo years.Note the combinations given in the table above(e.g. he total amounr)' A moresimple and idiomatic way of expressin the whole total amount is to say all of the orthe utholeof the. However, note that all of the can be usedwith both countable anduncountable nouns (e.g. all of thepopulation; all of thepeople), while the uthole of thecan only be usedwith uncountable nouns (e.g. he whole of thepopulation; theuhole of theproduction for that year). It is clearly safer to useall of the.

numberthe total amountall of thethe full amountthe greatest number


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Visuals:Writing boutGraphs, ables nd Diagrams '17

Warning! A common error is to omit the after expressions ike all.of or tlte .whoh of Do not write Vll ofpopulation; "the tahole of energt used.k must be:All of the population; the utholeof the energyused.

Remember also that many is used for countable nouns, while a great deal a/shouldbe used or uncountable nouns. (For uncountable nouns a lot of canbe usedinformally, but it should be avoided n formal writing.) Here is a summary of thepoints made above.The expressionsn bracketsare the lesscommon ones:

\07ith countable nouns With uncountable nouns(amount)(quantity)numberal l of themany(a lot o0

amount(quantiry)the whole (of the)a greatdeal of(a lot of)

2.3.2OtherMeasurements(i) range rate

xtent scalePercent percentage

levelProPortion

degreeratio

(ii) length weight distance heightaltitude area volume sizefrequency duration

The words in set (ii) above(and the adjectives elated o some of them) are veryrestricted n use,and you will be unlikely to need them in the IELIS Academic\WritingTask 1. If you need them in universirywork, you will certainly know theirmeanings and use.However, most of the words in se (i) are very widely used becausehey refer tochangeof to the relationship of something to something else,and that is whatgraphsand tablesare usually designed o show.These terms, however,can presentdifficulties in usase.


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2.3.3UsageRnte is defined in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English as:

a quantity such as aalae, cost, or speed, measured hy its relation to sonxeother am.ount,The Cambridge International Dictionary gives his definition:

a leuel of speedwith uhich sometbing happens or changes,or the numberof times it happens or changes utithin a particuhr period.

So we can talk about the rate of grouth, or, more commonly, the groutth rate of thepopulation; the birth rate; unemPloyment rate; diuorce rate etc. These are allmeasurements onsidered n relation to the rest of the population, or involvingchangesover time.Leuelindicates lteigbt, as in the leuelof utater in a gl.ass,but it also has the meaningof amount. The Oxford Advanced Learner'sDictionary defines t as:

a point or ltosition on a scale of quantity, strengtlt, ualue etc.Collins Cobuild English LanguageDictionary gives his definition:the am.ount of something at a particuhr time;

Thus we can talk about rhe leuel of production| the leuel of expenditure; and alsothe leuel of unemployment.In all the examples given above, the word leuel could be replaced by the word rate.(i.e. the rate of production; tbe rate of expenditure; the rate of unemltloyment (or theunemplolment rate).In most casest is probably safer, herefore, o use he wordrateunless you especiallywant to refer to a particular point, rather than to make acomparison.If you think of leuel6eing represented y a bar graph, and rate by a line graph, it iseasier o remember that leuel goeswith the verb rise and rate goeswith the verbincrease. Go to the sectionon Tiends for further examples.)Most of the other words in the list are not quite so common, and you should notuse hem unlessyou are confident that you know them well. However, another verycommon and important term rspercentage. \flhile percent means lircrallyfor eueryhundred the word percentage s used more broadly to mean proltortion. Thus we cansay that the percentage proportion of uomen in the utorhforcehas risen.The term proportion is also usedto compare two things:

The proportion of utomen to men in the uorffirce increased.


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2.3.4 RelatedVerbsbe make up consist ofconstitute comprise amount toequal account for representinclude record reachstand at become

The verbs hat show changeare given in the next section - Tiends.

2.3.5UsageIt is usually correct to use some form of the verb to be. However, it is not good tokeep repeating he sameverb. On the other hand, it is safer o usethe sameverbrepeatedlyand correctly than to use any of the other ones ncorrectly. It is thereforebest o learn to use at least wo or three of the expressions bove accurately.YourESL dictionary will give you more examples,but here are some:

The number of unemployedutas10% of the population.Thepercentageof uomen in the u.,orkforce as higher than in t/tepreuiousyear.Women madc up / constituted a signifcant Percentdge f the uorkforce.Food and garden materials *comltrisenearlyhalf of all householdwaste.Paper and cardboardamounted to 2lo/o of the total householdLuaste.Thepopulation ofAlia stood at 21 million at the turn of the centur!.Fossilfuel emissions ccountfor the majority of greenhousea;es.The consumption offossil fuels reached the highest leuels n recentlears.

*Note: It is difficult to use comprisecorrectly, since it has several relatedmeanings, and can also be used in the passive.It is best to avoid using thisword, unless you are very confident. Check your ESL Dictionary for examples.

2.3.6 MathematicalExpressionshalf n. halve vb. double n. / vb.triple n. treble vb. threefold adj.quarter n. / vb multiply vb. divide vb.averagead1. vb I n. total adj. / vb. partial adj.equal adj. / n.. fraction n.


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2.3.7PhrasesNote especially the use of the prepositions at, in and,uith in some of thefollowing, and try to learn these phrases, as they are very useful:

production roseat a rate of 20o/oper yar / per annum / p.a.consumptionstoodat tlte same euel n thefollouing decadethe annual increaseuas in / uithin the rangeof 10o/oand 20o/oproduction increased decreasedy 20o/otbe inneasetaasuer! signifcant, at 50o/oX was the largest roducer, u.,ith45o/oof the total productiontlte number remainedsteadyat 300 for tl'te nextyearExportsdoubled, to reaclt 80o/oof imports in 1990There zuereltree timesas many usersAs n thepreuiousledrThe number of users ncreasedf.uefold

TASK8Graphs and tables often refer to common situations, and certain nouns oftenoccur. Test yourself to see f you know how to use some of them by making allthe possible matches between the words in the first column and those in thesecond.

number I populat ionamounr I GDPsize I employeesl ldegree I unemploymentquantiry | literaryrate I productionlevel I growtharms sales

clgarttconsumptlonsmokersincome / expenditureyears

a Ansuter Ke!

Warning: Be careful o usemasurementerms o avoidmistakes ike theFollowing:

"In thepast 10years he cars oseinsread f;In thepast 10years he numberof cars ose.


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2.3.8 RelatedAQjectives nd AdverbsThe expressions f amount should be modified with suitableadjectivesand adverbs:

CommonAdjectives:These are some of the more common adjectives,with examplesof appropriatecollocations:

high / low: a high / lota percentagelarge: a large numbergreau a great numbersignificant: a signifcant number / percentage amountconsiderable: a considrrableamount / increasesubstantial: a substantial ncrease decreasemajor: a major increase decreaseremarkable: a remarkable ncreasesteady: a steadydecreasewidespreadz the widespread onsumption

2.6.2 CommonAdverbials:Adverbs and adverbialphrases re alsowidely usedto modi$' adjectivesor numbersin order to express recisemeaning. Here are some examples:

overz ouer20o/ounder: under 5000just over / under: just ouer under 50 000 peoplearound / about: around / about 50o/oapproximat ely: approximately 25 %slightly: slightly more tltan half; slightly ouer40o/omarginally: a marginalfi smallerpercentagesignificantly signifcantlyfewer u)omenclose to: closeo halfconsiderably: considerablymore exPortssubstantially, substantially ess rfficalmost: almost exactly wice as many

NOTE: Many of the aboveadjectivesand adverbials,as well as others, are istedunder Tiends.


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TASK 0Read the following description of the pie chart given, and underline all theexpressions of measurement, and put a circle around the verbs. Then write adescription of the graph that follows, using as many of these expressions asyoucan.

Efectricityenerationn Australia y uel ype,1996/97

ffio,ttffi BrownoalI c" 'N Blackcoalfl Hyd'o

It is clearfom thepie chart that in 1996/7 bfo, the greatestproportionof electricitywasgeneratedby oil, at 59o/o.Less ltan half as muclt, namely 26%o, uas roducedfrom brown coal.Black coaland gas ogether ccountedforanother15% ofgeneratioru,eauing hydropowerat only 0.3o/o. n other utords,uirtually 100% ofelectricirygeneration n Australia at the time camefom fossilfuels, and only theinsignif.cant amount of 0.3o/ocamefom a reneuable energJt ource.

WorldEnergy ources

Coal23o/o


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TASK 1Read the following description of the bar graph given underneath, then coverthe description and try to fill the gaps in the version below. You do not need touse exacdy the same expressionsas those given, but the meanings and grammarmust be accurate.

TheTen opRice-producingountries999China:lnd ia:

lndonesia:Bangadesh:

Viet Nam:Thai land:Malaysia:

Japan:Phi l ipp ines:

USA:

28,29327,&623,240

16,60012,53'l

10,0008. r83

Mne of the ten top riceproducing countries n the world in 1999 tuere n Asia. Asone utould expect,China wds the greatest roducer of rice, u.,ithnearfit 193 milliontonnes. t wasfolloutedby India, uthichproduced ouer122 million tonnes,w/tilethe third lnrgest roducer, Indonesia, uAs responsiblefor about one third of thatAmount, at just ouer46 million tonnes.Bangladesh,Viet Nam and Thailand hadsimilar leuelsofproduction, i.e. between20 and 30 million tonneseach,whileMalaysia,Japan and the Philippines rangedbetween16 and l0 million tonne*The only non-Asianproducer on the list, the USA, accountedfor just ouer Bmillion tonnes.

Nine of the ten toP rice-producingcounties in the utorld in 1999 uere in Asia.As one would expect,China was of rice,tonnes.b tuasfollowed by India, which tonnes, uhile the

, Indonesia, tas esponsibhfor , A.tJustouer46 m. tonnes. angladesh,iet Nam and Thailandhadsimilar

, i.e. between20 and 30 million tonnseac/t,uhile Malaysia,Japanand thePhilippines tonnes.The only non-Asian

8 million tonne;

Thousandsftons

Droduceron the list, the USA,


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. : j j : : : : : : : : : . . . :: : : : : " " : : : : : : : : :

: r : : : ; : i : : : : : : : : : : : : : . : : : . . . : : : : i : : :: ::::::::::::::l::. . . . . . . : . . . . . i: : : ...:::::..:,::::' : l j : : : : : : : : : " rr : : : . : . . . : : : . r : :.. . : . : : : : : : : : : . i : : : i . : : i : i : : :. . . , , , . : . . , . . . . . . . . : . - : : :' . : : : : : t : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : .t . . . . . :: .:l : : l : l : : ,1 : : l l l l : : : : l : i : : l : l : :: : : t : : l

' : : : : : r . .: : i : i l i . . . i : . : :r: . : . . . : : : : : : : : : : i: : : : j: : r: : : :*: :: : : : : : : : : . :: : : : : : : : : : :: : : : : : : : : ,air.. . : j: . ; . : : : :: ,

Writinghe ReportGraphs and tablesare generally ntended to show comparisons,contrastsorcorrelations. n some cases variety of things are comparedor contrasted,while inorher caseshe same tems are comparedat different times.This is done to showmovement or trends.This sectionwill deal with comparisonsof different items,while the next section,on trends,will deal with changesover time. \7e will thenlook at how correlations are used and interpreted.

3.1 Comparison, ontrast nd CorrelationNote that the verb to comParemeans o show both the similaritiesand thedifferencesbetween two things, while to contrast means simply to reveal thedifferences. t is thereforeenough to use corrlPareor both Purposes. here is,however,a significant difference n looking at correlations becausehey may show arelationship between wo things happening at the same ime -often a causeandeffect relationship.This will be discussedurther below.There are many ways of expressing omparison.3.1.1 mplicitContrastIn some cases conrrast s implied because f the way the ideasare uxtaposed, hatis, placed next to eachother. For example:

Alia is a republic utith a popukrly electedpresident. Betastan is a militarydictatorship.

In this case t is not necessary, r evendesirable, o usea connector such asBy contrast,because he contrast s so obvious.The sryle of writing is improved ifconnectorsare not overused,so implicit contrast s worth using at least rom time totime.


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3.1 2 Explicit ontrastContrast is shown explicitly by using various parts of speech,particularlyconnectors.The most simple comparisonsare expressed ith the words:

more less fewer greaterlarger smaller higher lower

3.1.3UsageTo use hesecorrectly you need to consider he nouns they are usedwith. Lookagain at the common measurement erms we havestudied:

amount number quantity degreerate level size proportionPercentage

a greaterlargersmaller

amountquantirysize

a greaterhigherlower

degreeratelevel

a l g r ea te r l numberlarger I proportronhigher I percentagesmallerlower

l. More hss andfeuer do not combine with any of the nouns listed above.2. More, greater,higherand lzssare usedwith uncountable nouns and the singular

verb:There s more / greater / less rowth in GNP p.a.in Alia than in Bestastan.

3. More andfewer are followed by countable nouns in the plural:Tltere utere more / fewer accidents astlear than tlte year before.


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TASK 2The bar graph below shows the number of television receiversper 1,000inhabitants in the world in 1970 and 1990.'W'rite a report for a university lecturer describing the information shownbelow.

Developed counfles

ff i rczoI rcaT

First consider the following ways of expressing the same idea for anintroductory sentence:

a) In 1970 the number ofW receiuerser 1000 inhabitants in the world zuasmuclt less han in 1997.

b) In 1997 tlte number of W receiuersn the utorld uas muclt greaterthan in1970.

c) There were nearly tltree times as mdny W receiuersn the uorld in 1997 asin 1970.

d) Thereuterefar more W receiuersn the utorld in 1997 than in 1970.e) The outnershipof W receiuersn 1997 utas200o/o(three ime) higher than in1970.

Which of the above do you think are the best descriptions? Vhy?

Now try to describe the rest of the graph using the most appropriateexpressions you can, and avoiding repetition.

a Ansuer Ke!


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Similarity can be shown by using:similarly likewise equallyin the same way the same in a similar way I fashionboth.... and.... aswell as not only... but alsoalso too like x, y....as....as.... just as x, y... just asx, so y....

Contrast -which is more common -can be expressed y using:but while in contrast tohowever whereas by contrastnevertheless although instead ofyet even though aPart fromon the other hand as opposed to except forunlike

TASK 3Some of the above te conjunctions and are used within sentences, o connectclauses,while some are connectors hat are used to join sentences.'lfhich are theones that are used to start a new sentence?Some arc ltrepositions and must befollowed by nouns. \7hich are these?

rc Ansuter Key

3.1.4OtherParts f SpeechContrast can also be shown by using specificverbs, adjectivesand nouns:

Verbs: Adjectives: Nouns:compare (with / to) compared (with / to) comparison

rn comPansonwlrncontrast (with) contrasting contrast

ln contrast todiffer (from) different (from) difference (between)differentiate (between)distinguish (bemeen) distinct (from) distinction (bemeen)

as distinct fromresemble same resemblance to / with)

the sameassimilar (to) similarity (with)

vary (from / between) variation (between)change (from / to) change (from)


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WARNINGI!!Cornparedand carnparing re often used ncorrectly. Look at thesesentences:

Compared ith x, y is morefficient.Comparingx with y wef.nd that x is moreeficient.Comparingwith x, y is morefficient.Two of tlre aboveare ceffectand one is incorrect Can you seewhich is which?Peoplecompare hings (or people). f the activevoice s used comparing) hen itmust refer o someone oing the comparing i.e. people.Sowe say:

Comparingx with y wefind that...Comparingx withy it can beseenby us) hat,,..If the personor peopledoing the comparingarenot relevant o the ssntenc,then the passive orm (corupared) ust be used.So the first two sentences recorrect,but not the astone.But note also:Co,mparedith !: ! ^,?"! efficients grammaticallycomect,but itis not a verygood sentencerylistically.For comparison ithin a sentence,heuseof an explicit expression f comparisons not usuallynecessarynd actuallymakes he sentence lumsy.Suchexpressionshould only be used n morecomplex omparisons,etween entences,r longersections f text. Vithin asentenq,t is normally enough o say:X is worefficient than t.


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TASK 4Fill in the gaps in the following description,lists. Try to vary the expressionsyou use, to

using expressions from the aboveavoid repetition.

Employmentatternsn Alia, 920- 2000807060504030201 00

ManufacturingProfessionalBusinessOtherAgriculture

1920 1960 2000In 1920, 75o/oof the labourforce in Alia Luas mPlqted n agricuhureonly 10o/outorked n business nd trade.At the same imemdnulacturxngsector theprofessional ectorconstitutedjust 2%oofthe utorkforceeach.Thissituation changedonly uerygradually ouer lte next 20 years,

the professionalutorkforce,which increasedmore t/tan threefold.by 1970 therehad been significant hangen thepattern of

emplqtment. the agricubural employeesad declined n numberto 40% of the uorkforce, manufacturing emPloleesprofessionakad increasedlteir share o 13o/o nd 10% respectiuely.

the businessector id not increase ntil 1970. Tltemostdramatic couldbeseen y 1990, uthen heproportionofagricubural utorhersuas reduced o ust 10o/o the three otlter maiorsectorshad all inueased to ouer20o/o of the uorhforce.

nj Answer Key

the


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Visuals:Witingabout Graphs, ables nd Diagrams 31

TASK 5

WorldMeatProduction,950 90Mil l ionTons80

7060504030201 00

,t Porka Beef/Buffalo4 Poultry

o Sheep/Goats1950 1960 1970 1980 1990

Worldproduction increasedn all typesof meat sheep ndgoatsbetuteen1950 and 1990. There wasa shw rise n theproduction ofporh andbeeJ/bffilomeatupto 1980, afier thispork productionincreased ore dpidb.Pouhryproductionshowed nend.Startingfom a lou baseofjust 5 million tons, t increased elatiuely slowlyfor thefirst 20 yearsof thereported eriod. , ortt, that it increasedharply,, thentil by 1990 it had reached uer30 million tons.production of sheep nd goat meat remained steady /trougltout the period at around5 million tons.

rc Answer Kel

/1",'/ttt-n , /

- 4 Fn . . . , w '6......:: -

-$ --- &.


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32 Visuals:Writing bout Graphs, ablesand Diagrams

3.2 Trends:ncrease nd DecreaseGraphsas Landscape

Because f the appearancef graphs, he following geographic nd descriptiveer


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TASK 6Mark those verbs in section 3.3.1 which are transitive lvvirth . and theintransitive ones ntr. Some can be both!

Checkyour Answersn your Letrner's Dictionary.

TASK 7Identi$' which form of the verb should be used in the following:Note that in those caseswhere the verb can be both transitive and intransitive,the choice depends on whether the action itself is stressed(intransitive) orthere is the idea that someone was responsible for the action. E.g. The numberof unemployedpeople doubled in the lnst l0 years. But: The out4tut of thefactoryutas doubled uthen the neu machinery uas installed.

1. The number of worhers n manufacturing increased utas ncreasedbekueen1950 and 1960.

2. The total professional ectorexpandzd / was expandzd tltroughout the last80 years.

3. The business ectoralsogreut / tr)ltsgroun afier 1980.4. The number of manufacturing employeesose utas risen / raised / was raisedsignifcantly betuteen1950 and 1970.5. The agricubural u.,orhforce as steadily dzcreased has been steadily

dzcreased ouer tlte last 80 years.6. Other kinds of emphyment remained / uere rem.ainedfairly steady

throughout theperiod.7. The agricuhural utorhforce reduced / uas reduced quite sharply afer 1960.

tc Answer Ke!

3.2.2Nounsincrease acceleration development doublingexpansion gain growth risej,r-p decrease decline depletiondiminishing drop fall lesseninglowering downturn fluctuation


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TASK 8Note that it is very important to combine nouns and verbs correctly.Combine as many of the following as is possible:

The number ofThe quantity ofThe proportion ofThe rate ofThe level ofThe percentage fThe sizeofThe amount of

(the) workforce(the) banking sector(the) workers(the) consumption(the) productionemployment

rosefellincreaseddzcreaseddzclinedgeu)expandzdshranhdroppedreducedfluctuated

rc Ansuer Key

3.3CorrelationsOne of the most interestingways to usegraphsand tables s to place two togetherthat show a connection, or a correlation. This is often used n the IELISexamination. In this case t is necessaryo understand what the link is that connectsthe rwo.Correlationscan often show an indirect causal ink. For example, t has not beenpossible o say hat smoking caussllness n the sameway that one can say hat apoison cAusesllness,becausemany people smoke without becoming ill.Nevertheless, s the example below shows,a strong correlation between smokingand death from certain illnesses an show that tobacco s an indirect causeof illnessand death.Correlationscan also be used to show economic or other activity where there is nocausal ink, or where the cause s a separate ne (as n the example about tourismbelow).These are often interesting because hey can indicate trends and perhapssuggest uture actions to be taken. In the IELIS examination it is necessaryounderstandwhy the two visualshave been placed together, but you are not expectedto discuss he implications in any detail.


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3.3.1 ocabulary nd UsageThere is no specialvocabulary o be usedfor describing correlatedgraphsand tables.There are two grammatical forms which are more likely to occur in this context: thesuperlativesof quantiry such as the greatest number, the louest incidence /occurrence tc. and the comparative orm: thegreater the..... thegreater tlte...,etc.You will find examples n the model given below.

TASK 9In the following description, underline all the useful expressionsyou can findand use them in your own description of the correlation of the graphs thatfollow.

Tobacco related deaths 1998 Cigareftesconsumeoper apita,1995otal Male FemaleAfricaTheAmericasEurope5outheast siaIndiaWesternPacificChina

125,000s82,000I,369,000580,000383,0001,185,000913,000

I 12,000413,000900,000505,000332,000986,000783,000

13,000169,000469.00075,00051,000200,000130,000

4801,5302,0804't5't,2001,9451,800

There s a clear correlation betuteen he number of cigarettes moked er capita andthe number of tobacco elateddeaths. The table sltoutshat thegreatestconsumptiontcigarettesn 1995 uAs to befound in Europe, China and theWesternPacifc, andthat eachof these egionsalso had b fn the largestnumber of tobacco elated deathsin 1998. Europe, with thegreatestconsumptionper head of cigarettes, Amelyouer2000for 1995, also experiencedutellouer I million tobacco-related eathsbjt 1995.The region u.,ith he second ighestconsumptionof cigarettes as theVestern Paczfc,with nearly 2000 per ltead,and it ako recorded he secondhighestnumber oftobacco-related eaths,namely 1. 85 rnillion.In all regionsexceptSoutheast sia it can be seen hat the higher the consumptionofcigarettes, he higher the tobacco-relatedmortality rate. It is interesting that inSoutheastAsia,uith the htuest euelof cigaretteconsumption,at 415 per capita, themortali4t rate LUas s high as n the AmericAs,namely .58 million, abhough in theIatter the consamption euel was nearly tltree times as high. Clenly other heabh oreconomicfactors must be nuolued. h is also nteresting o note that in eaclt case ltenumber offemale deathswas signifcantly lower than that of males,uhich seemso bea reflection of thefact that in generalfar fewer raomen ltan men smoke.


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TASK 0Now write a description of the following, using as many suitable constructionsas possible from the above model.In the IELIS test the question would typically be expressedas follows:The graph below shows the rate of women's literacy and population growth inselectedcountries from 1988 to 2000.'Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shownbelow.

YemenArab Rep.Afghanistan

Mal iSudan

PakistanDomin ican Rep.

JamaicaSr iLanka

ColombiaThailand100 80 60 40 20

FemaleLiteracy 70)0 1 2 3 4 5Population rowth 06)

rc Answer KeJt

i


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Visuals:Writing bout Graphs,ablesand Diagrams 38

TASK 1Study the following three graphs showing the top ten countries for W'orldTourism and comment on the following in your description of the graphs:

1. The relationship between the top spenders and the top earners.2.'Which countries made an overall profit on tourism.3. The relationship between number of visitors and amount of income.

Now treat this as an IELIS'W'riting Task 1.'Write about 150 words in nomore than 20 minures.The tasks below show the top 10 countries in terms of tourist desdnation,revenue and spending.'Write a report for a university lecturer describing theinformation shown below.

Tourist Destinations1998(arrivalsn millions)Francezo unitedstatesspainE+z.z ttatyunited tates +l.t France

ttaty :+.e spainUnited ingdom zs.s United ingdomchina z+ Germany

Mexicots.r chinapolandI tg.g Austriacanada ftal canadaAustria t7.3 Austraria

RevenueromTourisim(U55 i l l ion)I :0 .+fzs.tZzg.of z r . i! r o .aI rz.sltz.zI s.rIe.o

Tourism: ighest pending ountries,99 7(USS illion)UnitedStates

GermanyJapan

UnitedKingdomItalyFrance

CanadaAustria

NetherlandsChina

Is :fzt . tf ro.orf to.st! r r . :I r r! ro.zr! ro.rz

5 l 5

rc Ansuter Ke!


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Using he RightStyleThere are a number of featuresof academicwriting that you need to observe norder to write well. Modifiers are vety important for giving your xactmeaning, andyou also need to know how to avoid informality, redundancy and repetition.In all academicwriting it is essential o know how to usemodifiers accurately. hisis one of the most important ways in which you can express our xact understandingof what you arewriting about, and the more accurateyour use of modifiers thebetter your writing will be. In writing about graphsand tables here are a number ofcommon adjectivesand adverbs hat are very frequently used. t is generallyNOTsafe o translate hesedirectly from your own language,as the usage n English isoften quite idiomatic, so you need to study the following examples.

4.1 ModifiersAs you can see rom the following lists, there are a largenumber of modifiersavailable.Mostly they are used n the form of adjectivesand adverbs although thereare also other ways of using them).There are generallymore errorsmade in the use of modifiers than in any otheraspectof \Writing Thsk 1, so it is worth your while to study the grammaticalinformation given below. If it seems oo much to memorise all that information,you should at least earn a numbe of expressions s complete phrases o that youuse hem correctly.Ti'anslating rom your own language nto English will seldomgive good results!


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4.1.1AdjectivesShowingAmount,Emphasis, imeAmount:

small slight limited marginalminor partial restrictedlarge great substantial enormousextensive extreme major numerousvast widespread

Emphasis:considerable dramatic maior markednotable noticeable sharp significantstriking strong substantial insignificantminor slight consistent moderate

Time:slow gentle gradual steadyconstant fluctuating rapid fastsudden quick

4.1.2AdverbialsThese too can show amount, emphasisand time, but they alsoneed to be classifiedaccording to their use This is because here are a number of difficulties with usingadverbsand adverbial phrases orrectly.Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectivesor other adverbs.However,not all adverbscanbe used n all theseways.That is one difficulry.The other difficulry is knowing the correct position for theseexpressionsn relationto the verbs n a sentnce.In the lists below, the adverbsare divided into groups accordingto their meaningand the way they can be combined with other partsof speech.After eachrelevantsection there is information about where they are placed n relation to the verbs n asentence.


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Visuals:Writingabout Graphs, Tablesand Diagrams 41

.Adverbs of degreeor amount which can be used with verbs and often also incomparisons. (Many can be used n adjective orm.)For example slightly:

Thepopulation increased lightly.Thereutereslightly more doctors han dentists.Employrnent n indusny increased lightly more rapidb.

hardly barely scarcely a littleslightly somewhat marginally moderatelypartly relatively significantly considerablysubstantially particularly exceptionally remarkablydramatically enormously to some extent mosdymainly largely a great deal very muchto a small/ certain/ largel greail considerable extent

Note: Iargelymeansnearly the sameas maircly,It does not rnean the sameas uery,Note: Avoid using a bit and a lot as they are used only in informal and spokenEnglish.

The following can only be used n comparisonsor superlatives:far by far very much

(fa, mort inhabitants; b fo, the greatestnumber; uery much more raPid(b) )Placement: The first three adverbs (hardly, barely starcely)go before the verb:

The number hardly / barely scarcelyncreased n the nextfeu years.In the caseof verbswith auxiliaries e.g. he presentperfect tense, he passive), rwith modals (may,could, sltould etc.) they go between the auxiliary or modal and themain verb: The number of utomen n gouernmenthas hardly (barely, scarcely)increased n the lastfeu years.The number is so small it can hardfu be considzred.The rest of the adverbswill eo after the verb (The numbers ncreaseda little /significantly etc.).


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In the caseof verbs with auxiliariesor modals, t is possible o place a few of thembetween he auxiliary and the main verb, but it is alwayssafer o place all of them atafter the verb.

The number of women in the workforce tas increased ramatically / signifcantlyetc. in the kst ffty years.The number of u.,omenn the zuorkforcemay increase onsiderablyn the nextdecade.

.Adverbs which can only be used with verbs. They are indicators of time or ofmanner. (The adjective orms are equally commonly used.)For example:steadily:

Thepopulation increased teadily ouer he nextlears.(There utasa steady ncrease n thepopulation.)slowly steadily gradually quicklyrapidly suddenly sharply stronglyat a fast / faster / slow / slower rate

Placement: All of these,except or the last phrase,can be placedbefore a verb orafter it :

Thepopuktion increased teddib.Thepopuktion steadily ncreased.

In the caseof sltarply and strongly t is more common to place them after the verb. Infact, it is probably simpler to learn to place all of them after the verb.In the caseof auxiliary and modal verbs, he same principle applies:either theadverbsare placed between he auxiliary or modal and the main verb, or they can beplacedafter the complete verb:

The number of accidentshas sharply declined / bas declined sharply since heneut regulations were ntroduced.The amount of unemphyment could sharply increase could increasesharply intlte next feut years.


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.Adverbs which can only be used with adjectives or other adverbs, to intensi&'them or tone them down. They can not be used with verbs or comparativs(unless the verbs are in the adjectival form, i.e. aspresent or past participles (e.g.bigh b increased, hrsb y increasing) :For example,highly:

Tltere utasa highb noticeable ncrease n the number of complaints.The increaseoccurredfairly mpidly.quite rather falLrly veryhighly extremely comparatively relatively

.Adverbials which are used with nouns and expressionsof measurement.For example: hardly an!; aPproximately:

There utashardly any change n the number of readers.Tltere uere approximately 10 million inhabitants.hardly (any) less than about aroundapproximately practically almost nearly(just) under (just) over exactly preciselysome (several)* many more thanmost (well) under (well) over all

For example:Hardly o-frfih of the uorkers tooh theirfull holidays.Nearly all of thepopuktion watcltes eleuision.Just under a quarter of all energt sproduced by coal.

Note: It is generallynot necessaryo give precise igureswhen discussingagraph or table. For exa-mplensteadof saying:

The uorld\ GDP per capita in 1995 was$US 5,990,it is better to say:

The world\ GDP per capita in 1995 wasabout / around / nearly $US 6000.*Nots You are unlikely to need to usetardl since t means rnore ltan afeabat not man! ^nd is so imprecise that it is not likely to be usedwhen describinggraphsor tables.


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Common Error!Note that it is a common mistake o write*Someof wastecomesfom agriculture.Sorne,many, mostand a//should generally be used without the word fSorneenergtis supplied hy utind generators.

Most utastecomesfrom indusny.Many students make this mistahe.All cauntries ltaae increased heir useoffox;lfuets

To use these words wirh of it is necessary o write af thebiecausehemeaning is that all, rnan! or lnost af a patticular and knoan arnount is / arebeing described, and so the definite article is necessary. or example, if werefer to mostof the students hen it must be clear that a specificgroup ofstudents s meant.

4.1 3 Making Predictions.Occasionallya graphshowing trendspredictswhat may happen in future. In thatcase ou cannot say hat something uillhappen, only that it may or could.The modals, mAl, might or could are generally oo vague and uncertain to be used,however.The most common expressionsor discussingpossible uture trends are:

it ispredicted / forecast expected suggested likely / probable that...If theseare used, hen the future tenseshould also be used,rather than may or couldbecause he combination would be too weak. In other words, *It ispredicted that thepopulation may increaseo 6 billion is too uncertain, and should be written as:

It is predicted that the population utill innease to 6 billion.Another possiblestructure s:

An increase n thepopulation to 6 billion is expected.


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2.In fact he number of adult usershasdoubled in that time.

dramatic nzore ltan significant steadlr3. After the year 2002 it is expected that the growth rate will decline

a bit la.rge significant steadya AnsuterKe!

TASK 3Select the best words from the list below to enter into the gaps in thedescription that follows this graph, changing the parts of speechwherenecessary.

JoponeseMonioges1 0090807 a

o/o 60E N

403020t 0

Lovemorrioges

Arronged monioges

to 50o/oand by the 1990s tltere zuasAn euentrend azuayfom ananged marriages, uhich had

less han l5o/o.

Tltere wasa change n the type of maniage common nJapan between1950 and the 1990s.While n 1950 the numberof louemarriagestuasonly 22%, by 1955 the numberof suchmaniagesltad increasedmoredeclined to

about dramatically nearly noticeably rather remarhablyNow replace the words used above with other from the lists that would be justas suitable.(You will need a teacher or native speaker to check your work as there are toomany variations possible to put in an Answer Key.)

1950 1960 197Q t98Q 1990 2000


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TASK24Internet-connectedom utersworldwide,1981-199919811982't983'19841985'19861987198819891990'1991't99219931994'1095't996199719981999

2132355621,0241,9615,08928,17456,000159.000313,000617,0001,1 60002,0s6,0003,864,0006,&2,00012,881,00019,540,00036,739,000s6.21 ,000

Supply any suitable expressions for the gaps.The number of Internet-connected omputersbas risensince1981. Although the number more tltan doubledfom 1981 to 1983, thefgures at that stage were small, oingfrom 13 to552.Houteuer,as tlte rate continued to d.ouble,or uenmore tltan double in thefollowing years, tlte grout/t rate ruas. rapid.Onlyafier1996 uas therea slouter ate of expansionas thegrouthrate no longer doubledeacltyear. Neuertlteless, y 1999 the number of Internet-connectedcomputers n the utorld had risen, uithin a period of less han 20 years,

56 million.rc AnswerKey

,fro* 200 to

Note: Many studentsorreruse nd misusemodifiers.Remember hat not everynoun or verbneeds o be modified,only thosewhere he modifier s reallymeaningful.Anothercommonproblem s exaggeration. ruden$somtimeslike to use h word.drantatic, or example,evenwhen the change hey aredescribings not verystriking at all, and the word signifcant would be moresurtable.


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4.2Using he CorrectStyleand AvoidingCommonErrors.There are a number of common problemswith style, vocabulary and grammar thatwe will discuss n this section.First there are a number of stylistic errors to avoid: informaliry narrativestyle,redundancyand repetition.

4,2.1Avoiding nformalityHere'sa good example of what a lot of students do. And what they shouldn't do. Abig number don't realise heret a problem.The above s a typical exampleof a stylewhich contains a number of informalusages.Can you identify them?

a) abbreviations: ltere's; shouldn't; don't; there's.These hould not be used. \Writehere is; should not; do not; tltere is.

b) a ht of :This is a very common, informal expression.For countable nouns, usemany ftuhat many students o...) and for uncountable nouns usea greatdral of(thereuas great deal of expansion n the 1990r.

c) a sentencebeginning with And: You should alsoavoid starting sentences ithBut and So.d) an incomplete sentence:The last sentence s not a complete sentence, incethere is no main clause.

e) big is not a formal word: large is. Similarly, Y litth number of studentsshould oeA small number of students.

An improvement of the above two sentenceswould read: This is a typical exampleofa style which many studentsuse,and which should be auoided.A large number ofstudentsdo not realise hat tltere s a problem.Can you see the additional improvements as well as the corrections?

f) The repetition of d.o s avoided. (Seesection below)g) The personalpronoun (they) s avoided and the passives used.This is a way of

making the sryle more formal, but you need to be carefulnot to use he passiveif the result sounds awkward.

h) The weak adjectivegood is replaced by a more exact one: typical.

Note: It is better to be a little informal and correct than to attempt to be veryformal and make bad errors. Remember: walk before you try to run.


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4.2.2Avoidinga NarrativeStyle.A report is not a story and so you should not usea story-telling sryle.Here is anexampleof what to avoid:

Here are two graphs. Thqt show that there taere manJt cbanges n the kinds ofjobsthepeople ofAl;a mostly did in the last centuryt.n the 1920s mostpeople worhed.in agricubure, asfarmers, and tltey continued in this utayfor manltyears.Later,ltouteuer, changegradualfu happened n the tuorkforce.

4.2.3AvoidingRedundancyRedundant means more tltan is necessary.Studentsoften use both redundancyand repetition either because hey aretranslating from a languagewhere these orms are commonly used,or to fill upspace,becausehey fear that they cannot produce 150 words about a graph or table,as the test question requires.However, it is better to write down more about detailsthan to fill up your paperwith statements hat contain no real nformation.There are two important reasonso avoid using more words than necessary:

a) it producesan unacademicstyle, being more suited to story-telling orliterature; andb) becausehere is no real nformation for the reader(or examiner) to focus on,any grammatical or vocabularyerrors n your writing becomevery noticeable.

Redundant statements nclude the following:a) thosethat provide information that is so obvious it is not worth stating. Here is

an example:Twentypercent of car accidentshappen afier darh, uthile the other 80%ohappenduring daylight ltours.

(Only the first half of the sentences necessary.)b) those that make a contrast explicit, when it is not necessarysee3.1).

Comparisons( p. 25).Here is an example:fn contrast, heposition of uomen ruasust the opposite o that of men.

(Omit the introductory phrase, n contrast).


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c) thosethat are used ike topic sentences, ut are actually empry of content. Hereare some examples:

Thereare somedffirences behaeenltese iao countries.The trendsAre not tlte same.From the graplt we can see lte uarious rates of change.

(Suchsentenceshould simply be omitted.)In other words, you should aim to use the fewestnumber of words necessaryoconveyyour meaning. If you feel that you are not writing enough (150 words forthe IELfS exam)you should add more detail.Avoiding Repetition.Repetition is another very common form of redundancyand should be avoided forthe same easons:t is not academic n sryle.Moreover, f you havea mistake n aphraseyour are using, and you continue to use hat samephrase epeatedly, ourworkwill look bad. Even if you use a phrasecorrecdy,you cannot gain good marksin a test if you do not show your abiliry to use a variety of expressions.There are examplesof repetition in the task given below. First, however, et us lookat some ways to avoid redundancyand repetition.4.2.4Using CompactStylePresentParticiple clausesare extremelyuseful for a compact style. For example:

Between 1860 and 1900 the temperature emained steady.During that time thetemperature oseand fe l by no morethan 0.1" Centigrade.

This can be written as:Between 860 and 1900 the emperatureemained teady,ising andfalling byno more than 0.1" Centigrade.

Another rypical expression s seen n this sentence:The US had byfar the greatestshareof the information technologt marhet,accountingfor 44% of Internet connections.

It is important to note that the presentparticiple, ending in ing is active inmeaning. It doesnot indicate the present enseat all, and can be used or any tense.The past participle (ending in ed or rz) is usedfor the passiveand is very useful nacademicwriting, but is not very likely to be needed n describing graphs and tables.


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Presentparticiple clauses re also often usedwith prepositions and can includenouns and adverbs:

The deuelopingcounniesof Afica, Asia and Latin America experiencedhemost dramatic growth, with Afica hauing around 5o/o er Annum.

Other parts of speech,such as prepositions,and even punctuation can also beused to make your style compact.\Whenyou are describinga graph or table,you need to make a generalstatement(e.g.carbon emissionsncreased igntficantly) and also give the specific details tosupport that statement (e.g.carbon emissionsncreased o 6000 million tons).Therearea number of simple ways to combine this information. Here are someexamples:(Seealso section2.4.7 under Measurements, or other examplesof commonphrases.)Note the use of the comma in the following:

Carbon emissionsncreased ignificantQ, to 6000 million tons.Carbon emissionsncreasedby 600%, fom 1000 million to 6000 million tons.Carbon emission ncreasedo 6000 million tons, an increase f 600%.

The prepositions at and u.,ith are also use ul.Byfo, the greatest roportion of electricity uas generatedby oiL at 59%.Australia ctme next, u.,ith a total of 42,215 students.Indonesia uas responsiblefor about one third of that Amount of riceproduction,at just ouer46 million tonnes.Bettueenlg20 and 1970 the business ector emained constantat around 10o/oofthe utorkforce.

Parentheses, ither by using bracketsor commas, are alsoyery common:Europe, utith thegreatestconsumPtion er head of cigarettes ouer2000) uas...Thegreatestproportion of electricity, 59o/o, utasgeneratedby oil.

It is also useful to give details by using narnely and that is or i.e.:The region utith the secondhighest consumption of cigarettesu)as lte WesternPacif.c, utith nearly2000 per head, and it alsorecorded he secondhighestnumber of tobacco elated dzaths,namely 1.185 million. etc.Bangladuh and Viet Nam and Thaiknd had similar leuelsof production, i.e.betueen20 and 30 million tonneseaclt.Less han half as muclt, namely 260/o, wasproducedfom brozuncoal.


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Note: A very common error is the use of such as instead of namely. Theexpression such as introduces examples, NOT a complete list. For a completelist, use namely.Look at the following examples:

Thereare a number of utaysof auoiding redundancy, uclt as usingparticipleclauses nd phrasesbeginning taith at.Therearefour tlpes of renewabh energ!, namely solar hydro, wind and biomassenerKy.

TASK 5Improve the following statements by removing the redundancy in any suitableway. You will need to reduce the number of sentences.

l. From the graphswe cAn see hat there has beena change n the rate of useofemail in the UK. The rate of changeof email use s sltounfrom theyear 1998 totheyear 2004. Email utasusedbyfeu people n the UK in 1998 but it was usedby manypeople n 1999 and the number kept increasing. n 1998 the number ofpeople using email in the UK was about 10 million and fu theyar 2000 thenumber had d.oubled o become bout 20 million. Thegraph shows his nendcontinuing until2002 and then a slight reduction in growth rate to 2004.2. Thegraph shous the trend in two 4tpesof marriages in Japan benueen1950and 1990. The ttuo types of marriages are hue marriages and ananged marriages.Thepercentageof arranged marriagesdecreased nd at tlte same ime the

percentageof loue marriages ncreased ramatically betuteen1950 and 1990. In1950 only 22o/oof the popuktion had loue marriages,uthile 650/outere nananged marriages,but by 1990 this proportion uas inuerted, utith 83o/obeing nloue maniages and only 15% hauing arranged marriages.

tc Ansuer Ke!


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4.2.5 ocus.Having consideredwhat to avoid,making your sryle both academic

:rtr:::orth Americaffiffi utop"ffi Rsia/PacificI utin America

Visuals:Writing bout Graphs,ablesand Diagrams 53

we will now look at some suggestionsor waysand varied by consideringyour focus.

330,00_9.282,ooo

242,OOO

of

Look at the following graph:WorldSpending nAdvertisingrom 1985 2000(in5USmil l ions)

, Total

..'193,OOO

'tl::1Lry

You could focus on different aspects f the graph in a number ofways, including:. North America /tas been esponsiblefor far more expenditure n aduertising hanany other area in the utorld.

. Ouer $333,000 million uas spent on aduertising n the world in theyear 2000.. Betuteen1995 and 2000 the amount spent on aduertising n the uorld hasmore tltan doubled.

However, you need to be carefulabout using an abstract erm as the subject of yoursentence. his is because oth the grammar and the logic of your sentence an easilybecome ncorrect if your command of English is limited. The problem usually ies inmaking the subject (the abstract erm, such as expenditure) it with the verb.


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TASK 6Test yourself by identi$'ing which of the following are not correct:1. A great change n aduertisingexpenditure n the uorld toohplace behaeen

1985 and 2000.2. The Amount of erpendinre for aduertising ncreased harply bettueen 985 and 2000.3. The highest expenditurefor aduertising was in North America.4. North America had the highest expenditure on aduertising in the world.5. Aduertising expenditure tad an increasen theyearsbetueen 1985 and 2000.6. Tltereuas a sharp ncreasen expenditureon aduertising n the utorld afier 1985.7. The loutestexpenditure on aduertising happened n Latin America.8. The louest expenditureon aduertisinguas spent4t Latin America.9. North America performed the highesta.mountspent on aduertising.10. The hutest amount of aduertising uas spent$956 million by Latin America.

rc Ansu.,erKey

4.2.6AvoidingGrammatical rrors: ditingBefore finishing your work, read what you havewritten carefully and look for errorsin basicgramma! particularly those nvolving parts of speechand verb forms.Many students approach English writing incorrectly by focusing on vocabularybutignoring the need to use he correctparts of speech. Vhen speaking t is easy ocommunicate without too much aftention to grammar, but errorswith parts ofspeechare very noticeable n writing and quite unacceptable or academicwork.Many words can appearas nouns, verbs, adjectivesand adverbs.For example:

compare comltar'ison comparatiue comparatiuelydistinguish distinction distinct distinctly

Often, however, here are no other parts of speechavailable or a particular word.For example,urban is an adjective,and there is no noun form.Another yery common rror is to use he passiveorm when this is incorrect.Sentence10 in Thsk 26 a6ove s an example of this kind or error. {.Jsuallyhe passiveis not needed n describinggraphsand tables.Studentsof all nationalities often forget the s ending on plural nouns in English. Tiyto take the time to check all your nouns.Finally,you should also check all your verbs to make sure hat you havethe correct tense.


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)r:tl::t:t:

:::::t;i:r:i::::1::lilr.ii::i:ii:i:l:::iitirii::::i:::i.,::::rtijti:i:i:;iii

iti;l:;::;:ritl::;i::::,.,,r :i i:':':,::]'],:']., . ,,:.!,,:r]]:]|]:'.'.' ':

l.lNrl.tl.,i.'.t.: : : : r ' l : : : l : : . ,

,,:tt:: t tl l i : r l l j , , r l : : : .' . .

DiagramsDiagramsoccur infrequently in IELfS Academic \Writing Task 1, and as thereis very little vocabularyand grammar that coversall rypesof diagrams hissection s very short. It includes three practice taskswith model answers.The purpose of a diagram is normally to show a process,how a pieceofequipment works, or the operational structure of a system.

5.1Vocabulary nd GrammarThe vocabularywill mostly be closely elated o the specialsubjectmatterbeing shown, and so you cannot prepare for that. There are, however, twoaspects f the language hat you will require for describingmost diagramsandyou should make sure that you know how to use hem well:

a) The verbs will normally be in the present enseand the passive orm.b) \Wherea processor structure is being presented, ou will need a varieryof connectorsshowing stages r time.


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56 Visuals:Witingabout Graphs, ables nd Diagrams

5.2Using good stylea) Do not attempt to describe he diagram in colourful or'interesting'

language.There is no need for adjectivesor adverbs.b) Avoid repetition (seeprevious section)and try to vary your language.c) Do not simply usefrstly secondly hirdly etc. or then to link differentstages.

Here are some other possibilities:In thefrst/ second etc. stage ...Next . . . . .Theprocess ontinues uith ....Afrer his ....

You can also use then after he subject ofyour sentence, nstead ofat thebeginning; e.g. The uater is then transported.

d) Vary the useof nouns and verbs:e.g. nsteadof :The uater is thenpurifed

write:Thepurifcation of uater is the next stageetc.

TASK 7The diagram below shows career paths in the travel industry.-Vrite areport for a university lecturer describing the information shown below

CareerPaths n theTravel SectorCHIEF XECUTIVE

,t" ,rJo* \/ /' M^N^GER \ \SMALL BRANCH TRAVEL MARKEflNGnfoo*rlfl*MANAGER ,XRX#* MANAGERT I S E N I O R T R A V E L > /\ I C O N S U L T A N T \ . /\ l ( t n t e r n a t i o n a - l / A u s t r a l i a n l , /rRevdlsalrs operations) TRAVEL5ALE5'sIPERVTSOR I SUPERVTsOR(Commercial | (Tourism)Private ector) | PublicSector r

\ | Specialisedomestic\ rnnvtcorusutteut / TRAVEL ONSULTANT(lnternationalperations)+. TRAVELCONSULANT,.2+ (DomesticOperations)TRAVELALE5ASSISTANT TRAVEL LERK

a Ansuer Key


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TASK 8The diagram below shows the nitrogen cycle.'W'rite a report for a university lecturer describing the information shownbelow.

THENITROGEN YCLE

tc Answer Key

NITROGEN-FIXINGBACTERIA NNODULESOFLEGUMINOUsPLANTS

NITROGENNTH ESOIL

DEAD PLANTS.ANIMALSandANIMAL EXCRETA


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Visuals: /riting bout Graphs, ables nd Diagrams

TASK 9The diagram below shows the production of steam using a gas coolednuclear reactor.'Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shownbelow.

A GosCooledNucleorReoctor

a Anstuer Ke!

Note: Many text books or English earners ealwith thewriting ofdescriptions f processesnd you should refer o these f you needmorepractice.

steom ofurbo-olternotor

heol exchongerhotgosduct

chorge ubes

uroniumuelelemenisgrophitemoderotorspressureesselconcrete hleld


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AnswerKeyPart 11. c) and e). Generally,avisual is usedto assist n making a concept clearer,butoften, especiallywith tables, he purpose s to give more details.Actually, a), b)and d) are also correct!2. c) and d). Sincethe purposeof a graph or table is to make the text easier ounderstand, a) cannot be correct. Giving exactly he same nformation (b) isdefinitely not the purpose.However, sometimes urther explanationsare given(c), and it is alwaysnecessaryo comment on the significanceof the visual (d).

3. c) is the correct answer,becauset givesa summary of the significanceof thegraph. In text a) the figures are simply expressedn words, which aremuch moredifficult to understand than the graph itself while b) was written by someonewho is going well beyond what is in the graph and is discussingcauss.4. 1) Over 1000 million tons;2) Too small to identify 3)Just under 1000million tons; 4) More ($31,000 million, against$27,187 million; 5) Less($29,815against$9z,ooo million).

Part2.5. 1 goeswith a) and b). Although c) is possible, t is more common in spokenEnglish, and it is better to use hatin front of the clause.2,3 andT all go with a).Again, c) is possible, ut it is better o insert hatinwritten English.4,5 and 6 all go with c) only.6. .)7.The followingarenot theonly possible nswers, ut are he most ikelyones:l. between 950 and 1990/ fom 1950 to 19902. Afier 1960/ From 1960 (on onutards)

3. benteen 950 and 1970/ fom 1950 to 1970 / for 20 yearsafier 1950,and then afier tltat rose ramatically,4. throughouthe40 yearsfrom 1950 / fom 1950 to 1990/ fom 1950fort/te next40 years.


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60 Visuals:fdritingbout Graphs, ables nd Diagrams8. In this task there are three kinds of answers:a) those which are completelycorrect and which are, n fact, the most common expressions; ) thosewhich arenot quite wrong, but not very usual -they sound rather odd to native speakersof English; and c) those which are completely wrong. The following are the mostcommonly used combinations:

the number of employees;mokers;learsthe amount of G!n; anmplolment;production; grouth; arms sales;cigaretteconsumption; ncome;expenditure

the size of the populationthe degree f unemplolment; literacy; cigaretteconsumptionthe quantity of production; arms sahs; cigaretteconsumptionthe rate of unemplolment; Iiteracy; production; grou)th; cigarene

consumption;expenditure.(Better is: he unemplolmentrate, tlte literacy rate, the grouth rate).

the leuel of GDP; unemplolment; literacy; income;expenditure.9. 1. a) and b) 2. a) and c) 3. a) and d) 4.^)5. a) and c) 6. b) 7.b) and c) and d)

Part3.12. a) and b) and d) are all too vague,and in a) the phrase per 1000inhabitants' is not necessary. he best sentence s c). \fhile e) is OK, it is rathertoo formal.13. Conjunctions, within sentences are:but, uthile, rultereas, bhouglt, euentbough.New sentencesmust be started with: Howeuer,Neuertheless, et,On the otherhand, By contrast.Prepositions are:unlihe, as opposedo, in contrast o, instead of, apartfom, exceptfor. These must be followed by nouns, not clauses.14.The following are not necessarilyhe only correct answers,but they are themost likely ones:uthile both - and - exceptfor / apart fom HoueuerWhile / Whereas as well as Similarly change dffirenceuthile15. The following ar not necessarilyhe only corrct answers,but they are themost likely ones:excptfor / apart fom but similar HoueuerMeanwhile / On the other hand.


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Visuals:Writing bout Graphs, ables nd Diagrams 6117. I. increased 2. expanded 3. grew

6. remained4. rose7. utas educed. has steadilydecreased

18. These are the most idiomatic combinations. Others may occur which are notnecessarily rong, but are unusual or odd.the number of + utorkers + all the verbs except: shrank; dropped;reducedthe quantitlt of + consumPtion + all the verbs except reducedtheproportion + tlte uorhforce; the banking sector; the) uorkers; consumPtion;

production; + all the verbs except dropped; reducedthe rate of + consum?ilon;Production; emplqlment + all verbs except reducedthe leuelof + the sameas above for the rate ofthepercentageof + the utork

writing about graphs and tables

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