What is an analytical paragraph?

Analytical Paragraph writing - An analytical paragraph is a form of

descriptive writing which is written on the basis of a given chart, graph, data,
outline, clues, table, etc. When writing an analytical paragraph, one should
remember to describe the facts in the best possible manner and to cover the
information provided.
Features of an analytical paragraph writing-

i.It describes the given chart, table, data, graph, cues etc.
ii. It should be brief and comprehensive (include complete information) at the
same time.
iii. It should state facts that are provided by the chart.
iv. It is necessary to make use of simple and accurate language.
v. It should mention figures and quantities appropriately.
vi. It is appropriate to use the same tense throughout the analytical paragraph.
vii. No personal observation or response should be provided.

It would be preferable to use the passive form of the v1. The introduction
The introduction is the first paragraph that should describe in brief what the
graph is about. It should be like an opening paragraph that introduces the
reader to the context of the chart given. When writing the introductory
paragraph, you need not go into the details. You just need to mention what is
clearly evident from the chart or the graph given in the question. It is best to
write the introduction in one or two lines.
 2. The body of the paragraph
This part of the analytical paragraph should contain details of the graph/chart
given in the question. It should contain all the important information. It is
extremely important to choose the significant details that should be included in
the paragraph.
The body can be broken into two or three sub-paragraphs depending on the
information extracted from the graph. Breaking the body into
subparagraphs makes it easy for the reader to understand.
i. Organizing information: You should look for the large differences that are
very prominent. You can mention the aspect which is the smallest or the
largest in the data given. Any aspects that are similar should be mentioned
next. You should further mention about the aspect that has remained
unchanged or constant throughout.
ii. Comparing information: If the chart mentions two different parties, for
example, men and women, refer to both of them in the analytical paragraph. If
there is any contrast or comparison that could be drawn, you must present it
effectively. If the chart is about a particular time period or highlights trends of
several years, mention each year in a concise manner. If any comparison or
contrast can be done for two or more years, you should write about it too.
iii. Mentioning quantities: When including numbers and figures, their
accuracy must be ensured. There are a number of ways that can be used to
describe quantities, for example- percentage, fraction, ratios, etc.
iv. Connecting sentences: If different information or ideas are there, you
should use connectors or linking phrases to link them logically. The sentences
of the paragraph should be sequential and connected rationally.
3. The conclusion
The last paragraph should summarise the idea mentioned and the information
in general. It should be concluding in nature and act as the closing statement.
One should keep in mind that one must not include any personal opinions,
conclusions, or observations. You should simply stick to the facts.
You need not dispose of the information to write a good analytical paragraph.
The key is to choose wisely the important information, organize it well, state
correct facts and summarise it properly.

Useful tips for writing an analytical paragraph

i.For an introduction, you can start with the following phrases-
i. The chart given above describes
ii. The table suggests
iii. The line graph shows
iv. The data given provides information about
v. The pie chart illustrates, etc.
ii. For describing trends, use phrases and words like- a pattern of growth,
rapidly doubled, skyrocketed, striking increase, peaked, soaring rates,
declined, plummeted, leveled off, stagnated, fluctuate, starting to rise, starting
to fall, drop down, slightly, etc.
iii. For describing quantities, use various styles like- 48% of, one-third of,
nearly one-fourth of, almost 80%, majority, on average, twice as much, almost
equal, the highest, the lowest, very close to 2%, roughly, approximately 5% of,
just under three percent, etc.
iv. For establishing a relationship or contrast, use phrases and words like-
relationship between, similarly, in contrast with, in comparison to, but in the
opposite case, however, whereas, when it comes to, as opposed to, while,
striking difference, noticeable difference, etc.
v. For the conclusion and other connecting phrases use- overall,
subsequently, in all, in a nutshell, for the chart given, in short, striking
changes, including, therefore, etc.

Analytical paragraphs Examples, samples

Question 1: Below is a graph given showing birth and death rates in a
country from 1901 to 2101. Write an analytical paragraph (100-150
words).
Answer 1:
The graph shows birth and death rates starting from 1901 till 2101.
Since 1901, the birth rate has remained more than the death rate until 2041.
Birth rate was 20000 in 1901 and started increasing gradually. It peaked in
1961 to around 65000. From 1961, birth rate has fluctuated multiple times
between 50000 and 60000. It is expected to decline for the coming years
reaching approximately 42000 by 2101.
On the other hand, the death rate stood at around 10000 in 1901 and then has
increased steadily. It is expected to rise strikingly from 2021 before levelling
off to approximately 60000 between 2061 and 2081. The graph indicates a
slight decline in deaths in the year 2101.
The graph shows the huge gap between birth rate and death during 1961 to
2001. However, this gap is expected to reduce in the later years. Overall, as
opposed to the prevailing trends, the death rate will be more than the birth rate
in the later half of the 21st century.
Question 2: The chart shows the division of household tasks by gender
in Great Britain. Write an analytical paragraph describing the chart given
in not more than 200 words.
Answer 2:
The chart shows the number of minutes per day spent by British men and
women in doing household tasks. On an average, the women spend about
four hours doing household tasks whereas the men spend less than two and
half hours.
The tasks on which women spend more time than men include cooking,
cleaning house, taking care of the children and laundry. In doing all these
tasks, women spend approximately 200 minutes which is almost three times
the time spent by men in these tasks. On the other hand, men spend twice the
time than women in doing tasks like gardening and maintenance of odd jobs in
the house. Men spend the highest time, almost 50 minutes, in gardening and
petcare. While the women spend only 30 minutes for these tasks. The time
spent by men in washing, ironing and sewing clothes is as low as 2 minutes
per day as opposed to 25 minutes spent by women.
In short, women spend far more time doing household chores than men whilst
men prefer to do gardening, petcare and maintaining odd jobs.
Question 3: The pie chart shows the proportion of people from different
households living in poverty in the UK in 2002. Write an analytical
paragraph to describe the information in 100-120 words.
Answer 3:
The given pie chart illustrates seven different categories of households living
in poverty in the UK in 2002.
It is clearly evident from the pie chart that 26% of the total poverty-stricken
households are those of sole parents. Single people without children account
for the second highest proportion with 24%. In contrast to couples without
children that accounts for just 9%, couples with children account for 15% of
the poor households. Single aged persons and aged couples proportion for
12% together for poor households.
Overall, 14% of all households in the UK were living under poverty. The
younger generation had a greater poor percentage than their aged
counterparts. Couples without children had better economic conditions than
those with children.
Question 4: The following table shows details about the internet
activities for six categories for different age groups. Write an analytical
paragraph for the table given in around 150-200 words.
Answer 4:
The given table suggests the internet activities of seven age groups ranging
from teens to those in their seventies for six different kinds of activities. The
table shows that the younger generation is more interested in online games
and news, while the older generation spends time on the internet to research
and buy products.
It is evident from the table that teens mainly use the internet for games (as
high as 81%), news and downloads and are interested in searching for people
or friends or doing any product research. The middle-age group (people in 20s
to 60s) is highly interested in getting news, doing product research and buying
products, the percentage ranging from 70-80%. The internet activity which
gets the least time is searching for people. All the age groups spend less than
30% of their internet time on the same. The amount of time spent on
downloads decreases with age and gets as low as 6% (for people in 70s).
Overall, the table suggests that teenagers are most likely to spend time
playing games and doing downloads. On the other side, older people are
interested in researching and buying products. People spend the least amount
of time searching for other people online.
Study the graph given below. The chart depicts the number of
students of class tenth speaking English and Hindi in three different
types of schools in New Delhi. Based on the details given in the bar-
graph given below, write an analytical paragraph in 100-120 words
ANALYTICAL PARAGRAPH SOLUTION 1
The chart depicts the number of students of class tenth speaking English
and Hindi in three different types of schools in New Delhi.
The chart clearly illustrates that the number of students speaking Hindi in
government schools is almost 3.5 times greater than the students who
speak English. In contrast, two-third of the total students in private schools
prefer to speak in English. In KVs there is a slight difference between the
choice of two languages, with Hindi being spoken by 55% of students.
On comparing the three type of given schools, government schools have
the highest number of Hindi speakers. Private schools are at the highest
position among English speakers.
In a nutshell, Private school students prefer to speak English whereas
government school students choose Hindi over English to communicate.
Students are almost evenly distributed in kvs on the basis of the language
spoken.

OLVED EXAMPLES:
1-Study the chart given below, which is the result of the survey conducted in the public
schools and government schools of Vadodara. This depicts the types of activities the
teenagers (Age 13- 19 years are involved during their leisure time). Complete the
summary in about 80 words.
Teenagers and leisure time
Now a days the teenagers are more techno-savvy than the children used to be ten
years back. They do not play games like Ludo, Carrom, Chess and other indoor games.
9-18 % of boys and girls in the age group of 13-19 years possess their own cell phones.
In the survey conducted recently on some 2000 students of two leading schools- one
government and the other a public school, the following facts were revealed. While
the students from public schools spend more of their leisure time in net-surfing and
talking on cell phones, the government school students spend it in watching TV and
talking to their friends.

2- The following data in the form of histogram shows that death due to violence has
increased considerably during recent years. Write its interpretation in 100 words
on how educated youth can play a major role in establishing peace in society.
Role of youth in establishing peace in society
Youth and peace are interlinked in society. Youth can play an important role in
establishing peace in society. In a survey conducted, it has been found that number of
deaths due to violence has increased enormously since the nineties. Death rate in
1000s was 2.5 in 1990. But in 2010, it has increased to 7.5. It is really very sad. It must
be checked.

Our youth can play a major role in controlling this crime graph. They can contribute
towards establishing peace in many ways. They can awaken the people towards the
necessity of peace. They can help the police in catching the criminals. They can bring
the criminals in the main stream by educating them and they can do much more.

UNSOLVED EXAMPLES:
1- Study the graph given below, which is based on a survey done on students of tenth
class in three different types of schools in Ahmedabad. The chart depicts the number
of students speaking English and Hindi. On the basis of the details given in the bar-
graph given below, briefly summarize the data making comparison wherever necessary
in about 80 words.
Hint- Compare the percentage of students speaking English and Hindi in all three
schools giving the possible reasons.

In a study conducted on the students of class tenth of three various types of schools-
Government school, private school and a KV, it was observed that

2. As an aware citizen of the country, you are concerned about the increase in road
accidents in the metropolitan city Delhi. Interpret the data given below in about 80
words. Also use your own ideas.
Horizontal line (x-axis) – years
Vertical line (y-axis)-No. of accidents

3-Give below is a pie-Chart, which shows different types of electric gadgets, used
by middle-class people in their houses on an average in Ahmedabad. On the basis
and the unit ‘Science’ of your Main course Book; write in about 80 words the
reason of selecting the electric gadgets for their houses.

Take into consideration the price range, durability, lower electric consumption &
after sales-service.