LINE GRAPHS

I. Important languages and structures

A. Language for change
1. Important vocab:
a. Vocab for changes

Vocabulary for
increase

Vocabulary for
decrease

Vocabulary for
fluctuation
 b. Degree and speed of changes:

Vocabulary for
degree of
changes

Vocabulary for
speed of
changes

Structure for Structure 1: Figure (+ of + Item) + V + Adv + Time/Place

changes E.g. The number of accidents suddenly dropped to 25 cases in March.
Structure 2: There + be + Adj + N + in + Figure (+ of + Item) + Time/Place
E.g. There was a sudden drop to 25 cases in the number of accidents in
March.
Structure 3: Figure (+ of + Item) + V witness + Adj + N + Time/Place
E.g. The number of accidents saw a sudden drop to 25 cases in March.
Structure 4: Time/Place + V witness + Adj + N + in + Figure (+ of + Item)
+ Place/Time
E.g. March witnessed a sudden drop to 25 cases in the number of accidents.
Structure 5: Adj + N + in + Figure (+ of + Item) + be + Pii witness +
 Time/Place
E.g. A sudden drop to 25 cases could be seen in the number of accidents in
March.

For all structures in this part, you can add the name of the item, place
and time into the structure.
○ Describing the starting and finishing points:
■ The figure starts at + data
■ The figure ends at + data
■ Item + has the starting figure + of + data
■ Item + has the ending figure + of + data
○ Describing the highest and lowest figure:
■ The figure peaks at + data
■ The figure bottoms out at + data
Structures and ■ The figure reaches a peak/the peak/the highest figure/the
vocabs for highest point + of + data
Positions and
■ The figure reaches/hits a bottom/the bottom/the lowest
Stability
figure/the lowest point + of + data
○ Describing the position at a certain point in time:
■ The figure remains at + data
■ The figure reaches + data (NO AT for this structure)
■ The figure levels off at + data
○ Describing little or no change:
■ The figure remains stable/steady/static/unchanged at + data
■ The figure maintains the same level at + data
■ There is little change in the figure at + data
■ The figure sees little/no change at + data
Preposition

Time phrases
B. Language for comparison:

1/ Comparison Structure 1: Comparison with Adjectives

structures
Figure + of Item 1 + be + Comparison structure with Adj + Figure of Item 2 (if
any)

Comparison with Adj:

Examples: The production of rice in Indonesia was higher than that of other nations.

Structure 2: Comparison with Nouns - Active

Item 1 + V possess + Comparison structure with Noun + Item 2 (if any)

V possess: have, own, record, show, possess

Comparison with Noun:

Examples: Indonesia had the highest production of rice among the nations.

Structure 3: Comparison with Nouns - Passive

Comparison structure with Noun + belong to/can be seen in + Item

Examples: The greatest production of rice belonged to Indonesia.

2/ Describing For Structure 3 (and sometimes structure 2) above, you can also use phrases of
ranks: RANKS and POSITIONS to replace the Comparison structure:

The highest figure = The first place, the first rank, the number one position…

The second highest figure = The second place, the second position…

The lowest figure = The last place, the final position, the bottom position

So we have new structures as follows:

 Structure 4: Item + take/have + Rank

 Structure 5: Rank + belong to/go to/is held by + Item

Examples:

 Indonesia takes the number one position among the rice-producing

countries.
 The first place in terms of rice production belongs to Indonesia.

3/ Other useful When using Comparative structures, you can consider adding the gap in figures:
 languages: There are two ways to describe a gap:

a/ Describing +) Use a specific figure: 1000 tons, 25 people…

graphs:
+) Use an estimation: a large margin, a huge difference…

● Figure 1 + Comparative with adj + Figure 2 + by + Difference

The production of rice in Vietnam is lower than that of China by a large margin.

● Item 1 + V + Difference + Item 2

Vietnam produced 1000 tons less in rice compared to China.

● There + be + Value + Difference/Gap/Disparity + between Figures/Items

There was a 1000 tons disparity between Vietnam and China’s production of
rice.

● The gap/difference/disparity + be + apparent/clear/minor/significant +

between Figures/Items
The difference was significant between Vietnam and China when it comes to rice
production.

3/ Other useful When you want to add a specific value of the figure, using “With + figure” would do
languages: the work. The phrase can be used at the beginning or at the end of the comparison
structure:
b/ Citing
data: ● Laos had the highest elephant population in both years, with 4000 in 1990 and
5000 in 2010.

● With 35000 books, Burnie Public Library has the greatest number of publications.

II. Analysis approaches for line charts:

 A. General approaches:

Charts with ONE Charts with 2-3 lines Charts with >3 lines
line

Introduction Introduce the chart Introduce the chart and Introduce the chart and its
and its focus its focus focus

Overview - Give the general - Give the general trend - Give the general trend of
trend of each line each line or groups of lines
- Point out the peak - Point out the line that is - Point out the line or the group
and/or bottom higher/lower than the that is the highest/ lowest
other(s)

Analysis Simply follow the Separate analysis for Put together groups of lines for
timeline: each line: analysis. These lines should
- Point out the - Describe the first line: share the same tendency or
starting figure Starting point, major level of figure.
- Describe changes changes, peak and - Describe one group of lines:
throughout the period bottom, ending figure  Mention the
- Point out when the - Describe the second characteristic of this
figure reaches a peak line: group (all increase/ have
or bottom  Starting figure => high figure…)
- Point out the ending compare with the  Quickly describe
figure first line changes in each line
 Major changes  Mention the highest and
 When the lines lowest figure in each line
converge - Describe other groups of
 Ending figure => lines, following the same
compare with the strategy above.
first line
- Describe the third line
(if any) and compare it
with other lines
 B. Sample writings
1. Charts with one line
The graph shows Underground Station Passenger Numbers in London.

The line chart shows the changes in the number of passengers using the underground in London
from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Overall, the data fluctuated throughout the day, with the highest figures at 8 in the morning and 6 in
the evening.
To be specific, in the morning, the number of passengers started at 100 at 6 am. This figure then
rose in the next two hours, reaching a peak of 400 people, before falling to 300 and just under 200
at 9 and 10, respectively. During the period between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., there was a gradual
increase in the number of passengers, followed by a sharp fall to the lowest point of about 100
people.
However, this decreasing trend did not last long, as during the rush hours (from 4 to 6 in the
afternoon), the figure soared to approximately 400 passengers. The rest of the evening saw a fall in
the number of people using the underground, except for a minor recovery at 9 p.m.

2. Charts with 2-3 lines

The graph below shows the differences in wheat exports over three different areas.
The graph shows the changes in the amount of wheat exported by Australia, Canada and the
European Community during a period of 5 years (1985 to 1990).
In general, while Australia witnessed a downward trend in the figure, European Community had an
increase during the period, and the export by Canada fluctuated throughout the years.
Starting at just below 20 million tons in 1985, the amount of wheat exported by Canada then
dropped to around 17 million tons in 1986. The figure, however, began to rise gradually in 1987 until
it reached the peak of 25 million tons in 1988. It then suddenly fell and hit the bottom, before
recovering and ending at 19 million tons in 1990.
In 1985, the European Community exported around 17 million tons of wheat. This amount then
slightly decreased to 14 million tons in 1986. It began to increase, before remaining stable in the
next 2 years. After that, the figure began to increase, and European Community became the biggest
wheat export among the three regions.
For Australia, the country began with the lowest amount. The figure then rose to 16 million tons,
before starting to decline for the rest of the surveyed period. In 1990, the amount of wheat exported
by this nation was just above 10 million tons, the least among the three areas.

3. Chart with more than 3 lines:

The graph below gives information from a 2008 report about the consumption of energy in the USA
since 1980 with projections until 2030.
The graph shows the changes in consumption of different kinds of energy since 1980 and forecast
until 2030.
In general, it is expected that most categories will continue to witness an increase in the future.
Also, Petrol and Oil has been the most important source of energy and is predicted to remain so.
To be specific, starting at 35 quadrillion units in 1980, the figure for petrol and oil fluctuated during
the period from 1980 to 2000. After that, there has been a constant increase, and the amount
consumed is standing at around 42 quadrillion units.
For Coal and Natural gas, their consumption was much lower than Petrol and oil. While the amount
of Natural gas witnessed certain fluctuations in the past, it is forecast to remain stable at around 25
quadrillion units until 2030. Regarding coal, despite certain periods of minor decreases, it is
expected to increase in popularity in the future.
For the remaining kinds of energy, they started at the same level of below 5 quadrillion units. The
figure for Hydropower has remained steady since then and is likely to remain that way. Meanwhile,
the consumption of Solar/Wind and Nuclear energy is projected to increase minimally into the
future.