Tutorial B2
Tutorial B2
- The graph illustrates how much S + V (three categories), namely…, between… and… (+ where S came
from), measured in grams per person per week/ billions of dollars.
- Overall, despite some fluctuations, there was an increase in the number of…, with… witnessing the most
dramatic rise from 2020 to 2022 (onwards), whereas a decline was seen in the figure for… In addition, …
consistently/ generally experienced (by far) the highest throughout the period.
- Looking at the graph in more detail, the number of… started at…, after which it saw a sharp fall to…,
before ending the period at…, after surpassing that of… in…
- With regard to…, data…, with a subsequent levelling off…, which was three times as much as the other two
categories, standing at… and… respectively, stayed the same at…
* increase, rise, grow, climb >< decrease, fall, decline, drop = remained relatively stable/ the same/ level off
=> BIG CHANGE: rocket >< plunge, plummet
=> doubled, trebled, quadrupled, a twofold increase = increased twofold, fell by one third/ two fifth,
dropped by half/quarter
* dramatic(ally) > sharp(ly) > substantial(ly) > considerable(y) > significant(ly) > rapid(ly) > steady(ily) >
gradual(ly) > slight (ly) > minimal(ly)
* about, around, approximately, roughly, nearly, just over, just under ///// number, amount, quantity,
percentage, proportion ///// saw, showed, experienced, witnessed, registered ///// In contrast, Contrary to this,
Similarly, Interestingly, whereas, while, however…)
* Similar/opposite changes can be seen in the figure for…, which…, became the most commonly used one…,
with…, still slightly higher than…, which recorded a negligible fall, overtaking both… and…
* 100 - 200,000 - 1.5 million - 1,567,286 = jus over 1.5 million - $500, $4,000, $5.8 million, $5.8 billion
* figure for (NOT of), quite similar, respectively (NOT more than two), a peak of (NOT at), never write ‘one’
(the highest one, the Science one)
* Future predictions:
- is anticipated/projected/predicted/forecast/expected/likely to; there will be a gradual increase
- over the next 5 years/ towards the end of the period/ in the next decade/ by 2035
=> Overall, the proportion of UK citizens who read books increased until 2023; however, from now until 2035,
it is predicted to fall significantly. A similar scenario can be seen for the other countries mentioned apart from
Japan.
STATIC
* Comparisons:
- There were twice/ three times as many unemployed people in 2009 as in 2005/ compared to 2005.
- More/less people preferred public transport than taxis.
- Taxis were more/less popular than public transport.
- A higher number of people preferred public transport than taxis, at 20,000 and 15,000 respectively.
- The highest percentage of commuters preferred taxis.
- The most/least popular mode of transport was buses that were down 20% over the 5 years.
(the highest, longest, oldest, most, lowest, least, the majority, a minority (people), the second largest…)
- larger than B by XYZ (a narrow margin)
- a half/ a quarter/ just over 20%/six times, twice larger than/as B
* Useful language:
- From then onwards (Thereafter), the USA registered a dramatic increase in the quantity of cars exported.
- surpassed (exceed; be greater than): Thereafter, the quantity of cars exported from the EU surpassed (those of)
the USA, at 20 million in 2010./ The figure for 1996 was four times greater than that of 2000.
Fractions Proportions
- The graph illustrates how many books were read by males and females at Burnaby Public Library between
2011 and 2014.
- Overall, the number of books read by men and women witnessed an upward trend. Those read by men
showed a slight increase and then a dramatic rise from 2012 to 2014; however, for women they increased
between 2011 and 2013 before declining after that.
- Looking at the graph in more detail, after a slight increase of about 1000 books between 2011 and 2012,
the number of books read by males rocketed for the next two years, increasing by approximately three and a
half times. By 2014, they had reached nearly 14,000 which was way above those read by females.
- With regard to women, more books were read by them than men up until 2013 when the situation was
reversed. In contrast to the significant increase shown by males, the number of books read by females fell
between 2013 and 2014, witnessing a drop of around 2000 books from about 10,000 to roughly 8000. This was
just over a half of those read by men in the same time period.
2. The charts show the expenditure on advertising for two separate companies in 1995.
- The graph illustrates the amount of money spent, in 1995, on advertisements by Acme and Famous on four
types of media, namely TV, newspapers, the Internet and billboards. The data was measured in thousands of
dollars.
- Overall, there was a wide disparity between the expenditure on TV and billboards with both companies
spending the most on TV and the least on billboards. In addition, newspapers and the Internet were
somewhere in between.
- Looking at the chart in more detail, the largest amount spent on advertising for Acme and Famous was on
TV, at around $250,000 and $200,000, respectively. In contrast to this, billboard advertising saw the least
amount of money allocated to it with Famous spending a marginally higher amount with about $30,000.
- With regards to the Internet, Famous spent twice as much as Acme on this form of media. Acme spent about
$50,000; whereas, the expenditure for Famous was approximately $100,000. Finally, advertising in
newspapers showed an opposite scenario compared to the Internet with Acme spending about a third more on
this than Famous at around $120,000.
3. The chart shows the changes in three different areas of crime in Manchester city centre from 2003-
2012.
- The graph illustrates how burglary, car theft, and robbery changed in the centre of Manchester between
2003 and 2012.
- Overall, the most noticeable trend is that burglary fell dramatically over the period. Car thefts fluctuated
until 2008, after which they rose steadily, whereas the number of robberies remained relatively stable between
2003 and 2012.
- Looking at the graph in more detail, burglaries started at just below 3500 in 2003, and apart from a small
rise of around 500 offences in 2004, they fell dramatically to just over 1000 incidents (sự vụ) in 2008. 2009 saw
a slight rise to just below 1500, and they remained in and around this figure until the end of the time period.
- Contrary to the above trend, from 2003 to 2008 the number of car thefts fluctuated between just below 2500
and just over 2000, before rising steadily to nearly 3000 in 2012. In addition, over the entire period, robbery
was the crime that remained relatively stable. Despite a small rise between 2003 and 2005, robberies in
Manchester city centre hovered around 500 for the final 6 years.
4. The chart shows information about the wildlife population from 2011 to 2016.
- The graph illustrates the number of bears, dolphins, and whales that existed in the wild between 2011 and
2016, measured in thousands.
- Overall, bears increased dramatically, whereas dolphins decreased significantly. Contrary to these trends,
whales witnessed a fluctuation in their numbers over the period.
- Looking at the chart in more detail, although in 2011 very few bears existed, over the course of the next 5
years their numbers exploded to just below 200,000 in 2016. However, dolphins saw a completely opposite
scenario. Starting at 150,000 at the beginning of the period, they showed a dramatic decline. By 2014, they had
fallen close to the number of bears in 2011, and by 2016, they had completely disappeared in the wild.
- In contrast, whales fluctuated over the time span. After falling in number to around 50,000 between 2011 and
2012, they recovered to a similar level as bears, doubling in population to 100,000 in 2013. Following this, the
number of whales showed a small fluctuation of about 25,000 over 4 years, ending with a population in the
region of 65,000.
5. The graph shows the consumption of fish and some different kinds of meat in a European country
between 1979 and 2004.
- The graph illustrates the amount of fish and meat eaten in a country in Europe from 1979 to 2004,
measured in grams per person per week.
- Overall, the quantity of beef and lamb declined dramatically, whereas chicken saw an opposite scenario,
with its consumption increasing substantially over the period. In contrast, fish remained relatively stable
compared to the other food types.
- Looking at the graph in more detail, in 1979 a person ate around 150g of both lamb and chicken per week.
This, however, changed significantly over the 25 years. Lamb eaten showed a steady fall to about 60g, but
chicken consumption rose at around the same rate to approximately 250g. Despite an initial fluctuation between
1979 and around 1988, the consumption of beef declined, with a person eating about half as much beef in 2004
as in 1979.
- With regard to fish, this was always less popular. The consumption of it in the European country between
1979 and 2004 witnessed no real significant changes. Starting at just over 50g per person per week, this
experienced a minimal decline 25 years later.
6. The bar chart shows the number of visitors to four London museums in 2016.
- The bar chart illustrates how many people visited four museums, namely the History, British, National and
Science, in London between June and December, 2016.
- Overall, the British Museum attracted the most visitors over the 5 months, whereas the National Museum
was the least popular. The History and Science Museum were somewhere in between.
- Looking at the chart in more detail, the British Museum had the most visitors. Starting at around 400,000
in June and July, it witnessed just under twice as many later on in August. By December, however, this had
declined dramatically to just under 500,000. The History Museum saw similar numbers in June and July and
also an increase in August, albeit by about 100,000 fewer than the British. After this, it declined by about half
in December.
- With regard to the National Museum, it remained relatively constant at approximately 200,000 visitors,
despite doubling to just under 400,000 in August. Interestingly, the Science Museum was as popular as the
British and History museums in June and July, but saw no increase in August. The Science Museum's numbers
increased in September; however, like the other museums, they decreased in December.
7. The chart shows the holiday accommodation chosen by the British in 2010.
- The chart illustrates information about accommodation that was chosen for holidays by British citizens in
2010.
- Overall, it can be seen that the highest percentage of people preferred hotels for their accommodation;
whereas, with the exception of Northern Ireland, caravans and camping were the least preferred.
- Looking at the chart in more detail, just over 50% of the English and Scottish chose hotels with the Welsh and
Northern Irish accounting for just under that figure. In contrast, proportionally half as many people decided to
book self-catering accommodation in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, however, this was not
a very popular choice with only around 12%.
- With regards to camping and caravans, camping was more popular in England and Wales than in Scotland and
Northern Ireland. Interestingly, holidays in caravans accounted for the second most preferred accommodation
type for the Northern Irish with about 30%, which was approximately three times that of Scotland or Wales and
significantly more than England. In fact, in England, caravans saw the lowest percentage of the four types of
accommodation.
8. The table shows data about underground railway systems in six major cities with date opened,
kilometres of route and passenger numbers per year in millions.
- The table illustrates information about the metro systems in six cities including opening date, route length, and
annual passengers.
- Overall, it is clear that the older systems were longer and served more customers than the newer ones. The
oldest system is in London; whereas the youngest is located in Los Angeles.
- Looking at the table in more detail, London was opened in 1863 and is the longest with 394 kilometres of
route. This is around twice as long as that of Paris which was opened in 1900. Paris, however, serves about 400
million more people with 1191 million annually. Interestingly, Tokyo, which is the third oldest, has the most
passengers, at 1928 million.
- With regards to the newer networks, Kyoto is by far the shortest, serving the least customers, at 11 km and 45
million people respectively. It was opened around the same time as Washington DC but Washington is about 10
times longer and 3 times busier. Finally, Los Angeles is the newest network which opened in 2001 and is 28 km
long. 50 million customers use it, which is similar to Kyoto.
9. The graph shows the proportion of the population aged 65 and over between 1940 and 2040 in three
countries.
- The line graph compares the percentage of people aged 65 or more in three countries over a period of 100
years.
- Overall, it is clear that the proportion of those 65 and over increased in each country between 1940 and
2020. From this point onwards, the populations are also expected to increase, with Japan being the most
prominent.
- Looking at the graph in more detail, in 1940, around 9% of Americans were aged 65 or over, compared to
about 7% of the Swedish and 5% of Japanese. The USA and Sweden then rose gradually over the next 40 years.
By contrast, the figures for Japan remained below 5% until the early 2000s, with about a third of the proportion
of the other two countries.
- Taking the future into consideration, a sudden increase in the percentage of those 65 and over is predicted
for Japan, with a jump of over 15% in just 10 years from 2030 to 2040. By 2040, it is forecast that around 27%
of the Japanese population will be 65 years old or more, while Sweden and the USA are expected to be slightly
lower.
10. The pie charts and table give information about the total value and sources of fish imported to the US
between 1988 and 2000.
- The table shows the overall value of fish imports into the US in billions of dollars, whereas the three pie
charts illustrate where the fish came from.
- Overall, the dollar value of fish imports increased substantially with the source of fish changing dramatically.
Initially the fish predominantly came from Canada however, later on, this changed to other sources.
- Looking at the information in more detail, 1988 saw almost two-thirds of all the fish imported into the US
come from Canada. China, however, represented only 13% which was around half of that of other sources. The
total value over this period was $6.57 billion.
- In contrast to 1988, 1992 and 2000 saw an increase in other sources which became the largest provider of
fish to the US. Furthermore, China saw their fortunes increase by taking 2% of the market share in 1992 and
then 10% more in 2000. By 2000, Canada had dropped to 28%. Despite the change in the origin of the fish,
the total import value in 2000 had risen by about $4 billion when compared to 1988.
11. The pie charts compare the expenses in 7 different categories in 1966 and 1996 by American citizens.
- The pie charts illustrate the proportion of money spent by Americans on 7 categories in 1966 and 1996.
- Overall, there was a wide disparity between many of the categories. The highest percentage was spent on
food in 1966, whereas in 1996 this was on cars. The lowest amount of money was spent on computers in 1966,
but in 1996, this was books.
- Looking at the charts in more detail, in 1966 nearly half of all expenditure was on food, even though only
7% was spent on restaurants. By 1996 food had seen a reduction of around a third to 14%. Conversely, twice as
much was allocated to restaurants. Following food, in 1966, cars accounted for about a quarter of expenditure;
however, this increased dramatically to 45% in 1966. Petrol remained at similar amounts for both years.
- With regard to furniture, this saw a slight decline by 2% from 10% to 8%. Interestingly, by 1996, books and
computers had seen opposite scenarios. In 1966, books stood at 6%, but by 1996 this had declined to only 1%.
Expenditure on computers, however, had witnessed a tenfold increase.
12. The charts give information about two genres of TV programmes watched by men and women and
four different age groups in Australia in 2010.
- The bar charts show information regarding two types of TV programmes that were watched by males and
females, over four age groups, in Australia in 2010.
- Overall, for both men and women, the highest proportion, who watched both reality and game shows, was in
the oldest age group. In contrast, those between 16 and 44 watched them less.
- Looking at the charts in more detail, twice the proportion of females watched reality shows as males;
whereas for games shows there was only a marginal difference between the genders. In terms of age, there
was no significant difference between those aged 45 and over, with about 70% of men and women preferring to
watch both genres.
- With regard to the other age brackets, a similar percentage of those between 16 and 24 watched both reality
and game shows, at around 60%. However, there were noticeable differences between the remaining two age
groups. It seems that those 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 preferred reality shows over game shows , with about 20 and
15% more people watching them, respectively.
13. The pie chart shows the main reasons why agricultural land becomes less productive. The table shows
how these causes affected three regions of the world during the 1990s.
- The pie chart illustrates the principal causes of why farming land has deteriorated, whereas the table
illustrates how three geographical regions were affected by these factors in the 1990s.
- Overall, we can see from the pie chart that there were three primary causes of farmland degradation, and
over-grazing was the highest one. The table shows that Europe had a far higher percentage of degraded land
compared to the other two regions in the same time period.
- Looking at the pie chart in more detail, overgrazing represented the biggest proportion at just over a third,
while clearing of trees and the over-use of crops constituted nearly one-third and just over a quarter,
respectively. However, other causes only contributed a very small proportion.
- The table shows that nearly a quarter of the land in Europe had fallen victim to degradation, with
deforestation being the primary cause. In contrast, only a small proportion of North America's total land
became less productive at 5%, and this was mostly due to too much cultivation. Finally, Oceania, which is a
collection of islands in the South Pacific, witnessed around half as much degraded land compared to Europe, at
13%.
14. The diagram illustrates the process that is used to manufacture bricks for the building industry.
- The diagram shows the stages needed for the production of bricks that are made for the construction
industry.
- Overall, there are eight stages in this man-made, linear process, beginning with digging up clay and
culminating in delivering the bricks. Throughout the process, the raw materials are dramatically
transformed.
- Looking at the process in more detail, to begin with, the clay that is used to make the bricks is dug up from
the ground by a large digger. This is then placed onto a metal grid in order to break up the clay into smaller
pieces. A roller assists in this process. Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, which is turned
into bricks by either placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter. Next, they are placed in an oven to dry for 24
to 48 hours.
- In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating and cooling process. They are heated in a kiln at a
moderate and then a high temperature, ranging from 200°C to 1300°C, followed by a cooling process in a
chamber for 2 to 3 days. Once the final stage has been completed, the bricks are packed and delivered to
their destinations.
15. The process diagram details the steps by which liquid chocolate is produced from cocoa beans.
- The diagram illustrates the continuous water movement on various parts of the surface of the Earth which is
known as the water cycle.
- Overall, the water cycle is a cyclical process consisting of 5 parts, beginning with water evaporating and
culminating in water returning to the oceans. This process encompasses some naturally occurring
phenomena.
- Looking at the process in more detail, it commences with the sun heating the water, which causes it to
evaporate from the oceans. This consists of around 80% of all water vapour in the air. At the next stage, it
begins to condense and, as a result, it forms clouds. These clouds then pass over the high ground on the Earth.
- The next stage of the process is when the clouds begin to precipitate in the form of rain or snow. A lot of the
water then runs off the surface or collects underground as groundwater. Following this, the water reaches the
impervious layer before continuing to the oceans. The final step is when the seawater intrudes into the fresh
water and it flows back into the oceans. Once the final stage has been completed, the process starts again.
17. The diagrams show the life cycle of the silkworm and the stages in the production of silk cloth.
- The graphics illustrate the life process of the silkworm, and the phases in the manufacture of silk
material.
- Overall, the lifecycle is a natural, cyclical process containing four stages, beginning with the laying of
eggs and culminating in the birth of a new moth from a cocoon. The production of silk is, in contrast, a
man-made, linear process consisting of 6 main phases.
- Looking at the process in more detail, to begin with, moths produce eggs, and it takes 10 days for them to
hatch into silkworm larvae that feed on mulberry leaves. This stage takes between 4 and 6 weeks before the
worms construct a cocoon from silk thread, taking approximately one week. They stay there for around a
fortnight, subsequently emerging as moths and the process can begin again.
- The first stage in the manufacture of silk is the selection of cocoons, and these are then boiled. Once
boiled, the silk thread is unwound to a length of between 300 and 900 metres. Finally, the silk can be twisted
and weaved into cloth before being dyed.
18. The diagram shows how a fire extinguisher works.
- The chart illustrates the patterns of sleep for five jobs in a study conducted in Canada.
- Overall, students and full-time mothers have the most amount of sleep, whereas doctors have the least.
Interestingly, all five occupations sleep at various times of the day and night.
- Looking at the chart in more detail, both students and full-time mothers sleep for 8 hours; however, this is
not at the same time intervals. Students sleep continuously from 11pm to 7am, but mothers are awake from 1 to
2am and get up 1 hour earlier. They also sleep in the afternoon for 2 hours. Although business executives show
a similar pattern to students they wake up at 5am, after 6 hours of sleep.
- The most erratic sleep pattern belongs to truck drivers who sleep three times over 24 hours, both in the
morning and the evening. Similar to business executives, they get 6 hours of sleep. Finally, the least amount of
sleep is experienced by doctors. They go to bed far later than students, mothers and executives, sleep only for 5
hours, and wake up for 1 hour between 3 and 4am.
20. The plans show the change of a small theatre in 2010 and 2012.
- The plans illustrate how a small theatre had changed in 2012 in comparison with 2010.
- Overall, the theatre witnessed some significant restructuring, including some additional facilities. Even
though some changes were significant, some things remained the same.
- Looking at the entrance area in more detail, this was extended to make the entire area bigger. The ticket
office to the left of the main entrance was relocated to the other side, where the café used to be, and the admin
office was moved to the top left corner. In addition, two new restaurants were established in the same area as
the admin and ticket offices in 2010.
- Taking the stage area into consideration, the stage was significantly widened, whereas the auditorium size
and the chairs remained unchanged. Furthermore, the media area behind the stage was reduced in size and
converted into a hall. A new media area, which had some shower facilities added to it, was then built to the left
of the stage to replace the storage area. Finally, a new area for storage was built on the other side of the stage in
2012.