Overview of Task 1

(150 words/ 20 minutes)

Types of graphs and diagrams

BAR CHART PIE CHARTS LINE GRAPH

TABLE PROCESS DIAGRAM MAPS

Single Time (Static) task

Comparing and contrasting data

(Comparative/ Superlative)

Describing numbers and

percentages (Countable/
Uncountable)

Deciding on the right tense

(Present/Past/ Future)
Single Time (Static) task
The table shows percentages of consumer expenditure for three
categories of products and services in five countries in 2002.
It is clear that the largest proportion of consumer spending in
each country went on food, drinks and tobacco. On the other
hand, the leisure/education category has the lowest
percentages in the table.

Out of the five countries, consumer spending on food, drinks

and tobacco was noticeably higher in Turkey, at 32.14%, and
Ireland, at nearly 29%. The proportion of spending on leisure
and education was also highest in Turkey, at 4.35%, while
expenditure on clothing and footwear was significantly higher in
Italy, at 9%, than in any of the other countries.

It can be seen that Sweden had the lowest percentages of

national consumer expenditure for food/drinks/tobacco and for
clothing/footwear, at nearly 16% and just over 5% respectively.
Spain had slightly higher figures for these categories, but the
lowest figure for leisure/education, at only 1.98%.
Look at the pie chart and complete each sentence with a word in the box:

percentage, another, majority, what, 36 percent, population, different, of

1. The pie chart shows ______ what visitors to Edinburgh

like most about the city.
2. The largestpercentage
_______, _______
36 percent think that its
summer arts festival is the best thing about it.
3. 22 percent choose its friendly population
_______.
4. 16 percent _______
of visitors like its museums and
galleries the most.
5. The city’s cafes, bars and restaurants was popular
with _______
another 16 percent of visitors.
6. 10% prefer _______
different things.
7. Overall, the _______of
majority visitors think the city’s
cultural attractions are its best features.

The percentage = The rate/ The proportion

The largest/ highest percentage # The smallest/ lowest percentage
….. % can be used as a Subject ; “percent” not “percents”
The majority of = Most of the
Change-over-time task

Describing Trends
(increase/ decrease/ maintain)

Describing Specific Data

(high point, low point)

Using adjectives and Adverbs to express

the degree of change
(a dramatic rise/ rose dramatically)

Using prepositions properly

(from…….to, by, between)

Deciding on the right tense

(Present/Past/ Future)
Change-over-time task The bar graph shows the combined time spent in billions of
minutes, on three different kinds of phone call in the United
Kingdom, from 1995-2002.

Overall, local calls were the most popular over the whole period,
with national and international calls and calls on mobiles second
and third respectively. However, the number of minutes spent on
international and national calls and mobiles both increased over
the period; with mobile minutes increasing dramatically, thus
narrowing the gap between the three categories by 2002.

Minutes spent on local calls fluctuated over the time period, with
just over 70 billion minutes in 1995, peaking at approximately 90
billion in 1999 and then steadily decreasing to just over 70 billion
minutes in 2002.

National and international calls increased steadily year on year,

from just under 40 billion minutes in 1995 to a peak of just over
60 billion in 2002. Mobile minutes increased at a very rapid pace
from approximately 3 billion in 1995 to around 45 billion in 2002.
Mobile phone usage nearly doubled from approximately 22 billion
minutes in 2000 to 40 billion in 2001.
Complete the following sentences with suitable VERBS and choose the correct
prepositions:

decreased/fell decreased/ fell

increased/ rose

increased/ rose

IN + YEAR / MONTH
FROM ………. TO ………….
BETWEEN ………… AND …
OVER/ DURING THE PERIOD
increased/ rose IN THE NEXT …….. YEARS

ABOUT = AROUND = APPROXIMATELY 50

JUST UNDER: THẤP HƠN / JUST OVER 50 : NHỈN
HƠN
Describing trends
The number of birds increased significantly in 1994.

There was a considerable fall in the number of people attending in 2002.

There was a dramatic rise in the percentage of female students in 1990.

Temperatures dropped noticeably between 1880 and 1885.

There was a constant change in the figures between 2001 and 2006.

Temperatures increased slightly in 1909.

Useful language for Task 1:
Introduction The graph/ chart/ table/ diagram/ map shows
(give information about; provide data about; illustrate; describe; depict; compare…)
Overview Overall/ Clearly/ Apparently/ Obviously, …
There was an upward/ downward/ stable trend in …….
Introducing key According to the ……, we/one can see that
points Looking closely at the ………,
Turning to/ Moving onto the ….......,
Linking ideas and
sentences because/ and/ so/ also …

Comparing and
contrasting However/ While/ By comparison/ In contrast/ On the other hand/ Although…

Indicating time In 2010, starting at …………., this number/ amount/ rate then …………..
In the next five years, ………………
During/over the same period, ……………..
By 2010, this number had fallen to 2000.
…………… at all points, except ………….