8. Presenting Data
I Single line graph

1 Writing task

Task description

You will be given a graph with a single line. Your task is to write a 150-word report to describe the information given in the graph. You are not asked to give your opinion.
What is being tested is your ability to:
♦ objectively describe the information given to you
♦ report on a topic without the use of opinion
♦ use suitable language to describe the graph

Task: Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information in the graph below.
[pic]

2. Guidelines for a good description
Does the report have a suitable structure?
¨ Does it have an introduction, body and conclusion?
¨ Does it include connective words to make the writing cohesive within sentences and paragraphs?

Does the report use suitable grammar and vocabulary?

¨ Does it include a variety of sentence structures?
¨ Does it include a range of appropriate vocabulary?

Does the report meet the requirements of the task?

¨ Does it meet the word limit requirements?
¨ Does it describe the whole graph adequately?
¨ Does it focus on the important trends presented in the graphic information?

3. Strategies for improving your Writing
3.1 Selecting information
It is important that you describe the whole graph fully. However, this does not mean that you should note every detail. In most cases there will be too much information for you to mention each figure. You will therefore need to summarize the graph by dividing it into its main parts. This is what we mean by describing the trends. For example, in a chronological line graph it might seem sensible to describe the information year by year or period by period. The graph above gives the information in five-year sections so we could write our report like this: The number of cases of X disease started at 50 in 1965 and then went up gradually to 100 in 1965 and continued up to 200 in 1970 and then went up more sharply to 380 in 1975.
While