Preparing for IELTS Visuals Academic Writing Task 1

68 Pages·2016·3.59 MB·English

by  Gabi Duigu.

Visuals
WRITINGA BOUTG RAPHS,
TABLEASN D
DIAGRAMS
Gabi Duigu
@ Gabi Duigu 2001
All rights reserved
Published by Academic English Press
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.:. ......:........ ..:...........
Part1
t. The Purposeo f Graphsa ndTables .. .. .. .2
Part 2
\WritingaboutGraphsandThbles
2. ......9
\Writingthe
2.1 Introduction ......10
2.2 TimeExpressions .......13
2.3 Expressionosf Measurement . . . .15
Part3
3. \TritingtheReport ......25
3.1 Contrast.... ...,.25
3.2 Tiends ......32
3.3 Correlations ......35
Part4
4. Usingt he Right sryle . . . . .39
4.1 Modifiers ...39
4.2 Usingt he CorrectS rylea ndA voiding Errors . . .48
Part5
5. Diagrams ...55
5.1 VocabularyandGrammar ......55
5.2 Usingagoodsry.l e ......56
AnswerK"y.. ...59
\With thanks to Maryanne Sheaf or making the book possible,a nd for her
enduring patience and encouragement.
Many of the graphs and tablesi n this book are basedo n visualsf rom various
issueso f the UNESCO Courier, to which very worthwhile publication grateful
acknowledgment is made.
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lntroductiona nd Overview
Many books exist that are guides to academicw riting for native speakersT. here are
also a number for non-native speakersO. f these,q uite a few deal with the use of
graphs, tablesa nd other visuals.H owever, they normally explain how to insert or use
thesev isualst o make your work more interesting and easyt o understand.T hey do
not usually explain how to write about thesev isual aids.
The primary purpose of this book is to help you with the \Writing Thsk I of the
IELIS Academic test. Howevet becauseit attempts to deal with the language
required in a systematicw ay, you may find that much of the information it contains
could be useful to you later during your studies,i f you ever need to use graphs,
tableso r the like in your work. So perhapsy ou should not give the book away as
soon as you have passedy our IELIS.
)i()K)K)t()K
'Writing
In order to write about visuals,a s required in IELIS Academic Thsk 1, it is
necessaryto understand what to write, as well as ltotl to write it. The first section of
this book therefore beginsw ith a discussiona bout the main purpose and featureso f
graphs, tablesa nd other visuals,a nd provides exercisesto practisei denti$'ing these
correctly.
The later sections then go on to deal with the languager equired to write about
them. There are vocabulary lists, explanationsa bout meaning and grammar, and
exercisesT. here is also an Answer Key, and model answersa re provided, so that the
book can be used for self-studya s well as class-roomu se.
2 VisualsW: ritinga bout Graphs,T ablesa nd Diagrams
Since most of the IELTS Academic \Writing Thsk 1 questionsd eal with graphs and
rables,a nd since they require specific interpretation and writing conyentions,w e will
first focus on these.
A Note on terminology: The IELIS Handbook mentions diagramsa nd tables.
\Writing
Clearly this includes graphs (the most common visual used in Task 1)
under diagrams. Other books talk about visualst o cover all of these.Youd o
not need to worry about this as the label is usually given in the introduction to
the task and you can simply use the samew ord in your answer.
1. TheP urposeo f Graphsa nd Tables
In order to know how to do something properly, it is necessaryto understand the
parpose of that thing.
tWe
actually need to know two things:
a) the purpose of using graphs and tables;a nd
b) the purpose of utriting about the graphs and tablest hat have been used.
\Wew ill deal with the first one first.
1.1U singG raphsa nd Tables
TASK1
'Which
of the following statements do you think best describe the purpose of
providing graphs and tables in an academic text?
a) to explain what is in the t€xt in a different way
b) to provide information which is additional to that provided in the text
c) to make it easiert o understand the conceptsb y using a visual rather than
by just using words
d) to give an overview or an impression or a summary
e) to provide more exact details than is desirablei n the text
rc Answer Key
VisualsW: ritinga bout Graphs,T ablesa nd Diagrams 3
1.2 Writinga bout Graphsa nd Tables
In real life, the text usually comesf rst, and the graph or table is added to support
the text. In fact, most books that adviseo n writing, explain how to use graphs or
tablest o illustrate the words more cleady. However, in IELTS the reverseo ccurs -
you are given the graph, table or diagram and must supply the words.
In Thsk 1 candidatesa re askedt o look at a diagram or table, and to present the
information in their own words. Depending on the type of input and the task
suggestedc, andidatesa re assesseodn their abiliry to:
r organise, present and possibly compare data
.describe the stageso fa processo r procedure
.describe an object or event or sequenceo fevents
. explain how something works
IELTS Handbooh, 1999
Note that the first of thesei s the most common task found in the Test, and the one
we are dealine with now
TASK2 .
\(zhich of the following do you think best describes the purpose of writing
about graphs and tables (in real academic writing)?
a) to explain what is in the graph or table in a different way which makes it
easiert o understand
b) to give exactly the same information in words, in order to emphasisei t
c) to expand on what is in the graph or table by giving additional explanations
about the reasonse tc.
d) to draw attention to the most important asp€cts of the information shown
in the graph or table.
tc Ansuter Ke!
VisualsW: ritinga bout Graphs,T ablesa nd Diagrams
1.3 Understandingth e Purpose
TASK3 .
Look at the following graph and the descriptions given underneath, and decide
which one is the most suitable. Try to explain why you think so.
AveragAen nuaUl rbanG rowthR ates
ltsto-ts
T--l 1995-2000
ffiil 2020-2025
Asia Europe Latin North
America America
a) This gdph showst he aueragea nnualurban groluth rate of 5 continentsfrom 1970
to 2025. According to the graph, Africa had about 5o/oa ueragea nnual urban groutth
rate in 1970 and ouer 4%oa ueragea nnual urban grozuth rate in 1995 and in 2025
the aueragea nnual urban grou.tthr ate is expectedto bej ust ouer3 o/o.F or Asia the
aueragea nnual urban groutth rate wasj ust ouer3 o/o in 1970 and 1995 and it utas
expectedto be about 2o/oi n 2025. In Europe, by contrast, tlte aueragea nnual urban
groutth rat€ was only about 1.5% in 1970 and it went down to about 0.5o/oi n
1995, and in 2025 it utill be lesst han 0.2o/o.I n Latin America tlte aueragea nnual
urban groutth rate utentf rom just under 4o/oi n 1970 to just ouer2 %oi n 1995 and it
tuill probably bej ust ouer 1o/oi n 2025. In North America the aueragea nnual urban
groluth rAte uAs about 1o/oi n 1970 and 1995 and is ffiPectedt o stay tlte samei n 2025.
b) Looking at the graph lae cdn seet hat urban {ouath has happenedo n all 5
continentss ince 1970 and that it is expectedto continue right up to 2025. The most
dramatic grouth is in Africa, Asia and Latin America, becAusetb esec ontinentsh aue
experiencedth e most deuelopmenta nd industrialisation since 1970, while Europe and
North America show lessi ncreasep robably becauseth ey already started being more
urbanised. In deuelopingc ountriesm ary)p eoplef om the countrytsidea re attrdcted t0
the cities to loohf or u,,orha nd better opportunities in heahh and education, but this
rapid urbanisation is causingm any problems and needst o be connolled.
Visuals:W ritinga bout Graphs, Tablesa nd Diagrams
) The graph shou,,tsh at since 1970 there has beenc onsiderableu rban grotuth in all 5
continentsp resented and that this trend is expectedto continue at least until2025.
Houteuer,t he ratef or eaclt continent ltas not beent lte same. The deuelopingc ounnies
of Afica, Asia and Latin America experiencedt lte most dramatic growth rates in
1975, with Afica hauing around 5o/oP er Annum, Latin America just ouer 4%oa nd
Asia ouer3 o/o. In 1995 theser atesd eneasedt o just ouer 4o/oi n Afica and doun to
about 2o/o Latin Anterica, but Asia remained tlte same. This grouth rate is
for
expectedto decreaseb y about 1% for all three continents bjt the year 2025.
Mennuthile North America is expectedto maintain its groutth rate of 1o/op .a. ouer the
entire period, tahile Europe, hauing started the period at about 1.5o/og rowth rate is
expectedt o reducet his to only about 2% by 2025.
a Ansuer Ke!
1.4 Understandindgif ferentty peso f Graphsa nd Tables
\7e now need to look more closelya t what graphs and tabless how, and the
differencesb erween them.
'What
a) features do the following graphs have in common?
CigaretteC onsumptionin China WorldM eatP roduction1,9 50- 90
billions: Million Tons
2000
t Pork
15 00
,.a( a Beef/Buffalo
40 u Poultry
-ta
30
.---'-+/
20
't0 R .A'
/ ..,.8'
F-.:::--.ts_+
0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990
b) Vhat features do the following graphs have in common? How are they
different from the previous ones?
Percentageo f distributiono f Internet-connected HouseholdW aste1 999
computersb,y incomeo f countliesJ,u ly1 9 99
Paper& Food& Garden
Carboar2d1 % Materials4 6%
High-incomec ountries9 5.1 =-
Plastic 8%
Middleincome counldies4 .7 -
/ Metal 6%
Low-incomec ounti reso.z
Glass8 %
Other'l l%
VisualsW: ritinga bout Graphs,T ablesa nd Diagrams
'What
c) about these graphs?
Percentaqe of all children
5 - 14 yea-rsw ho work 1995
World AnnuaWl aterC onsumptionE:u rope
150
Africa
120
tuia
Thousands9 o
Latin America of Litres
& Caribbean ffieoys (percapita)6 o
Icitlt 30
Oceania
o ',I990
1950 1960 1970 1980 2000
'What
d) kind of information do the following tables provide? How does this
differ from the graphs?
Internet-conneccteodm puters Thel argesnt umbero f foreigns tudentsb y country
worldwide,1981-1999 of origini,n the 50m ajorh ostc ountries1:9 95
1987 28,174 China 115,87'l
1988 s6,000 Korea.Republicof 69,736
'1989
15 9.000 Japan 62,324
1990 313,000 Germany 45,432
'1991
617,000 Greece 43,941
1992 1,136,000 Malaysia 41,159
1993 2,056,000 lndia 39,626
1994 3,864,000 Turkey 37,629
r 09s 6,642,000 Italy 36,515
1996 12,881,000 Morocco 34,908
1997 19,5r+0,000 France 32,411
1998 36,739,000 Canada 28.280
1999 56.218,000 United States 27,749
a Ansuer Ke!
Understanding graphs and rables involves understanding the following details:
1. \X/hat is the information or data in the graph or table abo :ut?[ This
infarrnation is norma$t suppheA uith ilte graplt or tabla,J
r$fhat
2" are the units of rneasufemeflt used?
3. \{hat is the area (place) involved ?
4. \f,hat is the time-scale involved ?
5. What is the purpose of the graph or table?