Scribd
Upload
135 views

Bar Graphs and Advicedd

The bar graph shows global sales revenues from digital games between 2000 and 2006 for four platforms: mobile phones, online, consoles, and handheld devices. Overall, sales increased substantially for three of the four platforms over the six-year period. While handheld game sales were consistently higher than other platforms, console game revenues declined after 2003.

Uploaded by

mccabeandmrsmiller
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
135 views

Bar Graphs and Advicedd

The bar graph shows global sales revenues from digital games between 2000 and 2006 for four platforms: mobile phones, online, consoles, and handheld devices. Overall, sales increased substantially for three of the four platforms over the six-year period. While handheld game sales were consistently higher than other platforms, console game revenues declined after 2003.

Uploaded by

mccabeandmrsmiller
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 9

The bar graph shows the global sales (in billions of dollars) of different types

of digital games between 2000 and 2006.

The bar chart compares the turnover in dollars from sales of video games for
four different platforms, namely mobile phones, online, consoles and handheld
devices, from 2000 to 2006.

 Bar graph = bar chart


 Shows – compares / illustrates
 Namely = specifically / mainly
 Sales (in billions of dollars) = turnover in dollars
 Digital games = video games
 Different platforms
 Between 2000 and 2006 = from 2000 to 2006 = over a period of 6 years
It is clear that sales of games for three out of the four platforms rose each year,
leading to a significant rise in total global turnover over the 6-year period. Sales
figures for handheld games were at least twice as high as those for any other
platform in almost every year.

 There should only be 2 sentences.


 No detailed numbers here. Do not use numbers - except for years.
 You must always compare data.
 Leading to = resulting in
 Rose = to rise = to increase
 Global = worldwide = international
 Figures = number = data
 It is clear that = Overall, it is noticeable that
 Significant = dramatic = considerable = substantially

In 2000, worldwide sales of handheld games stood at around $11 billion, while
console games earned just under $6 billion. No figures are given for mobile or
online games in that year. Over the next 3 years, sales of handheld video games
rose by about $4 billion, but the figure for consoles decreased by $2 billion. Mobile
phone and online games started to become popular, with sales reaching around
$3 billion in 2003.

 While = whilst = whereas = on the other hand


 Given = provided
 Rose by = the difference
 rose to = you write the LAST number.
 About = around = roughly = almost
 started to become popular =
 YOU MUST USE NUMBERS
 YOU MUST HAVE 2-3 SENTENCES
 YOU MUST COMPARE FIGURES = NEVER TALK ABOUT NUMBERS
ALONE!
In 2006, sales of handheld, online and mobile games reached peaks of 17, 9 and 7
billion dollars respectively. By contrast, turnover from console games dropped to
its lowest point, at around $2.5 billion.
 REACH A PEAK = REACH THE HIGHEST POINT
 By contrast = on the other hand = on the contrary
 Dropped to = decreased to
 Lowest point = trough

Reach a peak / hit a peak

Hit a trough
Advice

1. Introduction: Explain what the chart shows by paraphrasing the question.


2. Overview: Look for two main things - in this case, we could mention the
highest items and the lowest items. You don't need to mention any
numbers at this point.
3. Details: Maybe repeat what you wrote about in the overview, but with
numbers and comparisons.
4. Details: More detail – more numbers!

How to write introductions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nVXyHTDuQc

Common error!

Students often make mistakes with thousands, millions and billions. It might seem
strange, but you should say "10 million" not "10 millions". It's the same with hundred,
thousand and billion. Try to avoid this mistake in writing task 1 - examiners notice it!
Correct: 10 million people
Wrong: 10 millions people, 10 millions of people, 10 million of people
Note:
When there is no number, we do write "millions of".
e.g. Millions of people travel abroad each year.
Line graphs always show changes over time. Here's some advice about how to
describe them:
 Try to write 4 paragraphs - introduction, summary of main points, 2 detail
paragraphs.
 For your summary paragraph, look at the "big picture" - what changes
happened to all of the lines from the beginning to the end of the period
shown (i.e. from the first year to the last). Is there a trend that all of the
lines follow (e.g. an overall increase)?
 You don't need to give numbers in your summary paragraph. Numbers are
specific details. Just mention general things like 'overall change', 'highest'
and 'lowest', without giving specific figures.
 Never describe each line separately. The examiner wants to see
comparisons.
 If the graph shows years, you won't have time to mention all of them. The
key years to describe are the first year and the last year. You should also
mention any 'special' years (e.g. a peak or a significant rise/fall).
 Start describing details (paragraph 3) with a comparison of the lines for the
first year shown on the graph (e.g. In 1990, the number of...).
 Use the past simple (increased, fell) for past years, and 'will' or 'is
expected/predicted to' for future years.
 Don't use the passive (e.g. the number was increased), continuous (e.g. the
number was increasing), or perfect tenses (e.g. the number has increased).
IELTS Writing Task 1: line graph essay

The line graph compares average yearly spending by Americans on mobile and
landline phone services from 2001 to 2010.
It is clear that spending on landline phones fell steadily over the 10-year period,
while mobile phone expenditure rose quickly. The year 2006 marks the point at
which expenditure on mobile services overtook that for residential phone services.
In 2001, US consumers spent an average of nearly $700 on residential phone
services, compared to only around $200 on cell phone services. Over the following
five years, average yearly spending on landlines dropped by nearly $200. By
contrast, expenditure on mobiles rose by approximately $300.
In the year 2006, the average American paid out the same amount of money on both
types of phone service, spending just over $500 on each. By 2010, expenditure on
mobile phones had reached around $750, while the figure for spending on residential
services had fallen to just over half this amount.
(162 words, band 9)

You might also like