Illustrating data 

Graphs and bar charts are used to show different ways of illustrating data. Graphs are often used to show change over a time period of time.

• use prepositions of time: in 2015, at the beginning, between May and June

Bar charts and pie charts are often used to make comparisons.

• use comparatives and superlatives: fewer visitors, the most popular

Describing a graph or chart 

If you wish to include a graph or a chart in your essay or thesis, you need to transform data from a graph or chart into text. You need to:

• say what the graph or chart shows
• describe the main changes
• summarize the major trends and/or high and low points

Writing task 6: report based on data (6 points)

Peer assessment of writing task 6 (2 points)

If you have submitted the writing task for this session, you can assess someone else’s writing. Go to Writing task 6, choose one report, read it (at least twice) and provide feedback as a reply to a particular forum entry. Please choose a contribution that hasn't been assessed by anyone else yet (if possible). 

Here are some criteria you can take into consideration:

• Does the text meet all the requirements (introducing the graph/table, commenting on main features, summarizing major trends, number of words)?
• Are there transitional words or phrases to help the reader understand the text?
• Is the language/style used appropriate?
• Is the text revised so as to correct grammatical, spelling and punctuation mistakes? 
• Do you have any suggestions for improvement?

To get points for the feedback, you need to write at least 5 sentences. 

Comments on writing task 6

1) opening sentences

Do not start your essay/ a piece of academic writing by announcing your topic: "I decided to write about the table chart ..."; "In this report, I have chosen to write about ..." Simply skip this kind of information and start with your topic. For example:

“This graph shows the percentage of USA citizens working in different fields between the years 1930 – 2010.”

“The table provides information on people's behavior on the internet.”

2) Transitions

It is important to use transitions (words, phrases, or sentences). They make the text fluent and coherent and create logical links between ideas.

Whilst 80% of teenagers play online games, this percentage drops to 54% for people in their twenties and to 37% for people in their thirties. Playing online games reaches the lowest percentage for people in their fifties and sixties however the number increases for people in their seventies. Kateřina Brettová

3) Describing and interpreting visuals

Many of you managed to describe the table/ chart precisely, some of you also managed to add insightful analytical comments. Some of you had problems with describing a table listing internet activities by age group. Here is one possible way to do it:

(a table listing internet activities by age group)

The chart compares various age groups and their involvement in internet activities. The most consistent in number seems to be News which has between 70 and 76 % in the age groups. The biggest difference can be seen in Product research where the numbers start with 0% for teens and end with 83% (40s). Other than this difference the numbers vary only from 70 to 80 % between other age groups. The lowest place when it comes to number takes Searching for people with 5% from teens and between 23% (30s and 40s) to 31% (20s). The biggest percentage in the whole table has online games, which has 81% teenagers devoting themselves to this activity. Online gaming has otherwise a percentage between 25 and 54, smalest numbers being held by 50s and 60s. Buying products seems to be devided into two groups, first having 41% (70+) and 43% (teens), and second with a range between 65 and 68 %. The last group, Downloads, starts at 6% (70+) and ends with 52% (teens). Jitka Kadrnožková

Here are some interpretive comments from your reports:

(a pie chart showing percentages of websites using various content languages)

Unsurprisingly, more than half of all documented websites (55.5%) are using English language as their content language, which corresponds with the idea of English being an international language. Schooling system in about 30 countries demands English obligatorily and in more than 100 countries you can learn English voluntarily. Jakub Bunček

Deni Procházků discussed the methodology of collecting data (a graph showing USA labour force employment):

It makes no sense that only five percent of employees work in primary sectors, with the others climbing somewhat above twenty percent starting in 1980. I have a feeling it only counts full time employees, and as primary industries have shifted since the presidency of Ronald Reagan towards cheap contract work where the employers do not have to cover healthcare it would make sense why they would not be listed as employed on this chart. Deni Procházků

(a pie chart showing percentages of websites using various content languages)

It is bewildering that Chinese with its growing influence around the world didn’t make it into the top 5. Richard Švec

4) Your task was also to summarize or highlight the major trends and/or high and low points.

(a graph showing USA labour force employment)

From the data it is evident that employment was highly reliant on Farming, fishing and Foresting in the earlier years this is likely because it was the main source of livelihood at the time, however, the Industrial sector is governing the workforce in later years due to significant developments in technology. Deisy Nhatuve

(a table listing internet activities by age group)

Overall, it is obvious from the table that age plays a significant role in the choice of Internet activities. While online gaming and downloading are likely to attract only younger people, all the age groups are highly interested in using the Internet for getting news and buying products online. Kristýna Číhalová

5) Finally, some exemplary reports:

(a graph showing USA labour force employment)

The United States labour force employment graph illustrates fluctuations in occupations from 1930 to 2010. In 1930 farming, fishing, and foresting were the highest leading professions at nearly 80% employment rates while industrial and technical jobs were practically non-existent. Likewise, sales and office and other services had marginally low employment rates at approximately 10%. 

Minor fluctuations can be visualized over the course of forty years with farming, fishing, and foresting remaining the leading industry in the United States. However, in 1980 this figure decreased rapidly with farming, fishing, and foresting industries dwindling to 40% employment rates and industrial occupations rising to roughly 20%. These fluctuations continued over the next 30 years with industrial and technical occupations soaring to approximately 30-35% and fishing, farming, and foresting industries plummeting to approximately 5% by 2010. 

According to the data, the turning point was in 1980 where industrial jobs started increasing in popularity while the labour forces moved away from harvesting occupations. Sarah Palet

(a pie chart showing percentages of websites using various content languages)

A pie chart from five years ago (2016) shows the percentage of websites using various content languages. Unsurprisingly, English language seems to be the overwhelming leader in this aspect, taking up more than a half of the pie with 55,5%, while Russian language follows up at a much smaller percentage of 5,9. Contrary to popular belief, Chinese language ranks only 7th most used, after such languages as Japanese or French. German is considered an official language in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, so it comes as no surprise that it ranks third with 5,7% of websites having German as the content language. Fellow Czech and Slovak students who might wonder how out mother tongue did in this research, they might be disappointed to find out that both languages joined countless other languages that were lumped into one category named Other. Only twelve languages got their own category. This pie chart shows clearly which countries have the biggest presence online, providing an insight into their IT development and online business status. Michaela Maruškinová