Writing about a Graph/Chart - Intermediate

As the name suggests, a bar chart is recognized by the rectangular bars that are either horizontal or vertical. A bar chart has an x axis and a series of labeled horizontal or vertical bars. The length of each bar shows the value that it represents. When the bars are placed next to each other, you begin to see why they are so useful for comparing data.


Let’s go step by step through the process of writing an essay from the information provided in the chart. Remember, you would follow a similar approach with a table, line graph and pie chart.


STEP 1 – Read the question carefully and identify the key words so that you know exactly what is expected of you.


The bar chart gives information about the top ten most popular languages in the world, and the number of people that speak this language, as well as the countries from which they are primarily found.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

STEP 2 - Study the chart carefully and then ask some preliminary questions.


This is your first attempt, so some questions have been provided to help you identify the basic facts. In later tasks, these questions will not be provided, as you are expected to ask them yourself when studying the chart for the first time.

·         What is this subject of this chart?

·         Are the bars running vertically or horizontally?

·         What is represented by the y axis?

·         What is represented by the x axis?

·         How many bars are there?

·         What/who does the longest bar represent?

·         What/who does the shortest bar represent?



STEP 3 – Once you have asked the broad questions, start looking for and selecting the information you will use in your answer.


These are also preliminary questions, but now you are gathering information to use in your essay.


You may want to ask questions such as these:

·         What kind of relationship can be seen? Are there similarities? Differences? Is there a cause and effect relationship?

·         Which information should I provide because it is important, and which information is irrelevant and unnecessary?

·         Should I describe the figures in separate paragraphs, or should I compare different aspects of these figures within a number of paragraphs?


For the chart that has been given to you, perhaps these questions will help to identify the key information. You may need to research the flags if you are not familiar with them all.

·         Which language has the most speakers in the world?

·         How many people speak it?

·         Which countries have this language as their official language or one of their official languages?

·         Out of the top 10 most popular languages in the world, which language comes in at number 10?

·         How many people speak this language?

·         Which countries speak English as one of their official langauges?

·         What are the two main languages in Brazil?

·         What are 4 of the most spoken languages in the U.S.A.?

·         One language is the official language in more countries than any other, which language is it?

·         Which language is the official language for only one country?

·         How many people speak this language?


 STEP 4 – Briefly plan what you are going to say and the order in which you will say it.

This is a step that is very often forgotten, but it is so important to have a plan so that you know how you are going to order the information that you provide so that your writing is logical and coherent.

It is up to you how exactly you plan your writing – you may use a mind map, or write a numbered list of the various bits of information you will provide.


STEP 5 – Write your essay, paying attention to grammar and spelling. Be aware of the linking words or transitional words that you use, as they are key to ensuring that your ideas flow in a logical manner.

You only have 20 minutes and 150 words, so make sure that what you say is:


Accurate – it must be based on the chart and not your opinion.

Relevant – it answers the most important aspects of the question or task.

Significant – only the key aspects or facts are used in answering the question.

Clear – you have provided the right amount of information to explain – not too much, not too little.

Precise – it is exact and specific and provides only the most important information.

Logical – the essay makes sense as a whole, from the first paragraph to the last paragraph. Everything that is said follows from the information provided in the chart.


To do this, write your answer according to the following plan:

1.      Write one sentence to introduce the subject and graphic.

2.      Write one or two sentences to show the relationship between the data or to comment on the main trend.

3.      Write an in-depth description of the information given. Include details from the most important to the least important, depending on time.

4.      Write one sentence to conclude your answer.

 

LET’S PRACTICE #1

We are not going to jump into the deep end, but will go step by step in preparing you for the full essay. We will start by looking at some of key vocabulary that should be used in Task 1 by reading the following paragraph and filling in the missing words by using the list that is provided below. Some of the words are specific to this particular bar graph, while others are important transitional words and vocabulary that you will find helpful in using with other graphs and charts.


On the other hand                Mandarin               Though              English                  nearest

English               exceeding                   Mandarin                 In contrast               double


The bar chart compares the number of speakers in the ten most popular languages in the world, as well as the countries in which they are found.

It shows that the language spoken by the most people in the world is, _____________________with one billion speakers, and is spoken primarily in China, Taiwan and Singapore. ____________________, French, at tenth, is spoken by only 129 million people. ____________________Hindustani is the third most popular language in the world, behind ____________________ and ____________________, it is represented as an official language in only one country, namely India. ____________________, Arabic is officially spoken in the most number of countries – ten. The ____________________ other language is English, with eight countries speaking it as an official language.

Mandarin remains the most significantly popular language, ____________________ its nearest rival, ____________________, by almost ____________________, and representing more than one third of the world’s total population.