Exam information | Describing a bar chart
For Task 1 of the writing paper you may need to describe a bar chart. Bar charts are useful for comparing the quantities of different categories (shown in the form of bars). Bar charts usually show the numbers or percentages on the left-hand vertical axis and the different categories that are being measured along the horizontal or bottom axis (plural: axes). Both axes are labelled to show what they refer to. Sometimes each category along the horizontal axis can be divided into two further sub-groups, e.g. boys / girls, so that these different sub-groups can be compared.
1. The bar chart below shows the information about student numbers at primary schools from Exercise 4 in Part 1. Answer the questions about the bar chart.
1 What do the numbers on the vertical axis measure?
Model Answer
The numbers of students
2 How is the information grouped on the horizontal axis?
Model Answer
According to school, and then divided into boys and girls
3 What do the different shades of the bars show?
Model Answer
Boys and girls
4 When was the data collected?
Model Answer
2008
Exam tip | Understanding a bar chart
When you first see a bar chart, ask yourself the questions in Exercise 1 and the answers will give you the essential information for understanding it. Make sure you know which units are being used to measure quantities.
2. Look at the following bar chart. Read the introduction to a text about it, then complete the paragraph about the girls using the phrases from the box.
This bar chart shows the numbers (in thousands) of students with pass grades in different subject exams in Wales in 2003. The chart groups the students according to subject and divides these subject groups into boys and girls. There are clear differences between the boys and the girls.
Similar numbers of girls achieved pass grades in all the subjects. The number of girls with pass grades ranged from the highest number of just over (1) to the lowest number of just over (2) a difference of around (3) Girls did best in Art, Maths and (4) while their lowest pass rate was in (5) Girls achieved (6) passes than boys in four subjects: English (7) , History and (8)
Exam tip | Beginning a paragraph
Begin a main text paragraph with a sentence summarizing the information in general (e.g. Similar numbers of girls gained pass grades in all the subjects.), and follow this with sentences giving specific details.
3. Write a paragraph describing the boys’ results shown in the bar chart in Exercise 2. Begin with a general sentence about the boys’ pass rates, then give specific details and numbers. Use the paragraph about the girls as a model; the words and phrases in the box will also help you. Write approximately 90 words.
Model Answer
However, there were bigger differences in the
numbers of boys achieving pass grades across
the subjects. The number of boys with pass
grades ranged from the highest number of just
over 70 thousand to the lowest number of just
under 30 thousand, a difference of around 50
thousand. Boys did best in Maths, English and
Science. Boys had the highest pass rate in
any subject: just over 70 thousand in Maths.
Their lowest pass rate was in Geography.
Boys achieved more passes than girls in two
subjects: Maths and Science.
|
