WRITING

DESCRIPTIVE REPORT

 The table below describes the number of students studying foreign

languages in SomeCountry in 2000-2005.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown.

The table presents the number of students who learned 5 different foreign languages in “SomeCountry”
between 2000 and 2005. It is clearly observed that the largest number of students studied Spanish and
that their number increased throughout the period described in the table.

The most popular languages were Spanish, German and French, of which Spanish was the most popular,
starting with 1889 students in 2000 and gradually increasing to 2453 in 2005. At the same time, the
students who learned German and French were around 1811 and 896 in the year 2000, respectively, and
both groups experienced some fluctuation, and finally decreased their number to 1121 and 687
respectively in 2005.

Russian and Japanese were learned by the lowest number of students, and that did not change during the
period. The number of Russian students started with 20 in 2000, increasing insignificantly to 26 students in
2005. Similarly, Japanese was studied by 32 students in 2000 and that number increased slightly to 35 in
2005.
 Overall, it can be observed that while the popularity of the most popular language increased, the second
and third popular languages lost a considerable number of students between 2000 and 2005.

 The graph below shows the popularity of different fast foods in Britain and
the trends in their consumption. Write a report for a university lecturer
describing the information shown below.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant

The graph shows the evolution of demand for hamburgers, fish and chips and pizza between 1970 and 1990.

It is clear that in 1970 the most popular food was pizza. The demand for pizza began with 300 grams, followed
by a spectacular drop of 200 grams in 1985.

The most striking feature of the graph is the demand for fish and chips. In 1970, fish and French fries were
people's second favorite food, and from 1980 the total demand increased to a maximum of 500 grams from the
99 of 1970.

In addition, hamburgers were the least popular food in 1970, with a total demand of 15 grams, which gradually
increased until 1985. Total demand for hamburgers skyrocketed to 299 grams in 1990.

In conclusion, there was a substantial increase in the demand for hamburgers and seafood, while there was a
significant drop in the popularity of pizza.

 The diagrams below contain information regarding percentages of people

occupied in various types of position in 1998 and 2001.

Write a report for a university tutor describing the information shown.

The two graphs describe the number of people in various types of employment (casual, unemployed, full-time,
part-time, and self-employed and contract) in 1998 and 2001. It is clear that most people were in full-time
employment in both 1998 and 2001.

In 1998, full-time workers were the largest group (37%), followed by part-time workers (27%), self-employed
workers (19%) and contract workers (12%). Temporary workers and the unemployed accounted for only 3% and
2% of the active population, respectively.

In 2001, although the majority were still in full-time jobs, their share fell to 28 per cent and that of part-time
workers to 20 per cent. The proportion of self-employed workers remained at 19%, but the number of hired
workers rose markedly to 18%. Another significant increase occurred in the proportion of unemployed, which
more than tripled to 7% in 2001. The proportion of casual workers seemed to remain unchanged at 3%, making
them the smallest group in the labor force.

Overall, the graphs show a trend of people leaving full-time employment and rising unemployment.

LET’S STUDY THIS EXAMPLE

 The following graph shows the number of students who have birthdays per
month. Write a report for a college professor describing the information
below.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting key characteristics and making
comparisons where relevant.
 1. Read the question carefully

 Underline the key points and look at what the question is asking you to do:

 Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.

2. Structuring your answer

A- In the first paragraph, you should briefly explain what is happening in the infographic. You can
get this information from the introduction to the task, but remember to paraphrase what it says:

B- In the second paragraph, identify the main trend in the infographic and any similarities in the
data:

C- In the third paragraph, explain the differences:

D- Finally, give a clear conclusion:

Useful language
You need to use a variety of words and phrases to analyze the data. A lot of this language is quite specific to
talking about numbers, so might be new for you. Look for any words you don’t know in your dictionary.
Useful phrases
 a small fraction, a small number, a small minority
 a large portion, a significant majority
 nearly a fifth, almost 10%, in region of 40%, more than a half, over a quarter, around two thirds, more
or less three quarters, exactly one in ten, approximately a third

Introducing the graph

 The graph/table/pie chart/bar chart/diagram ...
 gives information about/on ...
 provides information about/on ...
 shows ...
 illustrates ...
 compares ...
 explains why ...
 describes ...
 draws the conclusion of (a survey) ...

Example: The pie charts provide information on the proportion of males and females working in agricultural
sector.

LETS DO THIS TASK AGAIN

 The following graph shows the number of students who have birthdays per
month. Write a report for a college professor describing the information
below.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting key characteristics and making
comparisons where relevant.
  The graph below shows the number of people who used the Internet
between 1998 and 2000. Write a report for a college professor describing
the information below.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting key characteristics and making
comparisons where relevant.

 The graph below shows the number of marriages and divorces in the
United States between 1970 and 2000. Write a report for a college
professor describing the information below.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting key characteristics and making
comparisons where relevant.