Speech structures describing changes. Vocabulary for describing graphs for the DaF test - German online - Start Deutsch Phrases for describing graphs in German

Introduction

Graph structure

Reading general data from the graph

We describe the data in detail

Focus on some numbers

Describe the table in detail

Summarize

Some exams require the ability to describe a graph to pass at a sufficiently high level.

For example, in an exam this task is one of the fundamental ones. You will encounter a similar task in both the written and oral parts, so it is extremely important to prepare for this in advance. In this lesson, we'll show you the order in which to describe a graph, chart, or table, and we'll also give you some useful phrases to help you talk about statistics. Choose the expressions that you like best and learn them by heart, and then describing the graph will not pose any problem.

The first step is to identify the topic of the graph or diagram that you want to describe. You can do this as follows:

Das Thema der Grafik ist „…“. – The theme of the graph is “...”
Das Thema des Schaubildes/des Diagramm ist „…“ – Theme of the diagram/diagram – “…”
Die Tabelle/das Diagramm liefert Informationen zum Thema “…“ – The table/diagram gives information on the topic “…”

Das Schaubild wurde vom „…“ erstellt. – The scheme was created by “...”.
Als Quelle wird “…“ genannt. – “...” is specified as the source.
Die Daten stammen aus dem Jahr... – Data are given for... year.
Die Angaben sind in Prozent. – Data are given as percentages.
Die Werte sind in … angegeben. – The values are given in...

There are several types of diagrams, and therefore it is advisable to know what they are called in order to make your description more complete. Here are the most basic types:

Kreisdiagramm – Circle diagram
Liniendiagramm – Diagram in the form of lines
Balkendiagramm – Beam diagram
Rinddiagramm – Ring diagram
Säulendiagramm – Column diagram

After general information has been given, you can move on to a more detailed consideration of the schedule.

Der Anteil der… ist im Jahre 20… gestiegen. – Part... in 20... increased.
Die Zahl der… hat sich im Zeitraum von 20… bis 20… mehr als verdoppelt. – The number... doubled between 20... and 20...
Die Zahl der … hat sich zwischen 20… und 20… um …% zugenommen. – The number... increased between 20.. and 20... years.

It is also extremely necessary to learn verbs that will help you talk about the changes that the statistics indicate in the graph:

sich erhöhen – to increase
sich steigern – to rise
ansteigen – to rise
zunehmen – to grow
sich verringern – to shorten
abnehmen – to subside
sinken – to fall, descend
senken – to reduce, to reduce
reduzieren – to reduce

It is also possible to provide some comments on the chart or graph. Here are some examples:

Der Verbrauch an...lag im Jahre 2010 bei...Liter. – Consumption... in 2010 reached... liters.
Die Kosten für…betrugen 2016…Euro. – Costs for ... amounted to ... euros in 2016.
Der Ausstoß an … erreichte einen Stand von … Tonnen pro Jahr. – Output... reached the level of... tons per year.
Die Ausgaben für … erreichten 2015 die Höhe von … Euro. – Costs for ... reached ... euros in 1015.

At the end of the description, it is necessary to summarize briefly, as well as give a personal assessment or forecast of the further development of the trend.

Es ist festzustellen, dass... - It should be noted that...
Aus der Grafik geht hervor, dass... - It follows from the graph that...
Das Schaubild zeigt deutlich... – The diagram clearly shows...
Als Haupttendenz lässt sich… feststellen. – The main trend can be noted...
Zusammenfassend kann man sagen, dass ... - To sum it up, we can say that ...
Man kann erwarten, dass diese Tendenz sich ändert/bleibt. – This trend can be expected to change/continue.

Description of graphs, charts and tables

Graphs, charts and tables contain a large amount of information presented in an accessible and easily understandable way. When you work with a graph or chart, it is important to understand its purpose, i.e. how the information is presented, and what exactly it shows: the frequency of actions, the percentage of shares, divides something into categories, shows the growth rate, etc. There are many types of diagrams, but the most commonly used ones are:

Bar chart ( bar graph),

Sectoral ( pie chart),

Linear ( line graph).

The pictures below show the graphical difference between them. All graphs or diagrams, no matter in what form they are presented, display information sequentially, which means that the main task in describing them is to find the so-called start, during which, following the algorithm given below, you will be able to describe the graph.


bar chart	pie chart	line graph

Algorithm for describing a graph (diagrams, tables)

1. Read the task carefully and study the graph (diagram, table), concentrate on the facts. Decide what information is important and what can be left out.

2. Make a rough outline that includes an introduction, body and conclusion. Moreover, the introduction and conclusion are just two sentences: an introductory sentence, as a rule, describing what is shown in the graph (table, diagram), and one final sentence - the conclusion:

The graph (diagram) shows the rate of smoking people in …

Figure 1 shows sales of mobile phones per month.

This table illustrates clearly the extent to which the flora of selected islands now contain alien species, with the percentage varying between about one-quarter and two-thirds of the total number of species present.

The table gives an example of an engineering curriculum.

3. In this kind of task, you are not required to express your opinion, so you cannot use the words “I think”, “it seems to me”. Also, you should not evaluate the information, whether it is good or bad from your point of view, there is no need to explain the possible reasons for the growth or decline, this is unnecessary. Use a more formal style.

4. Don’t get distracted by details, don’t go into describing the details. You can’t talk about the data of a graph or diagram separately, that is, you can’t lose the main idea. Do not describe each item on the graph separately (for example, what data was in each year), but make generalizations, note trends, ups/downs, etc.

5. Choose synonyms for words, do not use the same grammatical structures.

6. Additional background information and examples of descriptions of graphs, tables and diagrams:

goodluckielts.com - keywords when describing schemes;
ielts.scool.nz - common words in IELTS tests;
world-english.org - good examples of descriptions of graphs and diagrams;

examenglish.com – sample description of a pie chart

ielts-exam.net – sample description of a line graph

docstoc.com – examples of descriptions of charts and graphs

scribd.com – a large collection of descriptions of charts and graphs

cstl.syr.edu – a good book about all types of charts, graphs and tables in English with illustrations, exercises and answers.

admc.hct.ac.ae – about all types of graphs and charts.

adw.hct.ac.ae and admc.hct.ac.ae - description of graphs in English and “demand curve”, demand curves;

eslflow.com - exercises and descriptions of graphs in English for the IELTS test;

Speech models used when describing graphs (tables, diagrams):

As can be seen	from in	the		…..
It can be seen We can see	that...

…..	can be seen	from in	the	chart, diagram, table, graph, figures, statistics,
is shown

As can be seen	from in	Table 1, Figure 2, Graph 3,
It can be seen We can see

From	Table 1 Figure 2	it	can may	be	that...
the	figures chart diagram

The graph Figure 1

shows

that...

X	increased shot up grew rose	by	...

X	increased shot up grew rose	slightly slowly gradually gradually markedly dramatically steeply sharply rapidly suddenly
declined reduced dropped fell

X	reached a peak. leveled off

Words and expressions used when describing directions:

Direction	verbs	nouns
	Rise (to) Increase (to) Climb (to) Boom Go up (to) Grow (to\|) Peak (at)	A rise An increase A climb, growth An upward trend A boom (a dramatic rise) (reach) a peak (at)
	Fall (to) Decline (to) Decrease (to) Dip (to) Drop (to) go down (to) Slump(to) Reduce (to)	A decrease A decline A fall A drop A slump (a dramatic fall) A reduction
	Level out (at) Did not change Remain stable (at) Remain steady (at) Stay constant (at) Maintain the same level A levelling out No change Fluctuated (around) Peaked (at) Plateaued (at) Stood at (we use this phrase to focus on a particular point, before we mention the movement, for example: In the first year, unemployment stood at …)	A fluctuation Reached a peak (of) Reached at plateau (at)

Words characterizing the degree of change in direction

Figure 1 shows sales of mobile phones per month. As can be seen, it covers the years 1998 to 2001 and shows that the sales of mobile phones declined steadily in 1998, then remained steady from May until the end of the year. The sales rose more and more steeply, throughout 1999, with a steep increase at the end of the year, and reached a peak of 6,200 in February 2000. A sharp fall followed but sales levelled off at about 5,300 per month in April, fluctuated slightly through the year, and are now increasing again. The figures seem to indicate that we have recovered from the problems in mid-2000 and are on target to improve on our February 2000 peak by the end of 2002.

The graph shows the rate of smoking in Someland. In 1960, 600 men in every 1,000 were smoking. This number decreased gradually to 500 by 1974 and continued to decrease but more steeply to 300 in 1995. In contrast the rate of women smokers in 1960 was very low at only 80 in every 1,000. This number increased to 170 by 1968 and increased again but more steeply to 320 in 1977. The rate of female smokers then remained stable at 320 until 1984 at which point the figures began to decline and had dropped to 250 by 1995.

Proportion of students

The chart shows the grades obtained by students in a class. Overall almost 90% of the students passed. More than half of the students obtained a very good grade, with 21% getting a distinction and 33% getting a merit grade. Only 8% of the students failed.

Uses of Apples USA

The graph compares the chief uses of the apple crop in the US. Overall, the bulk of the harvest is either eaten fresh or made into juice. The biggest slice of the pie-chart is taken up by fresh fruit. About 60% of the crop is eaten fresh. This is three times as much as the next use, which is for juice. Less than 20% of apples in the US are turned into apple juice. A further 12% is canned and a total of 5% is either frozen or dried. Other remaining uses such as apple vinegar, account for just 5% of the crop.

Table 4.2 Typical Freshman Engineering Curriculum
	Semester Hours Credit
Freshman Year Courses	1st Semester	2nd Semester
CHEM 101 - General Chemistry		-
CHEM 102 - General Chemistry	-
MATH 120 - Calculus and Analytical Geometry		-
MATH 132 - Calculus and Analytical Geometry	-
Elective in Social Science or Humanities
GE 103 - Engineering Graphics		-
RHET 105 - Principles of Composition	-
ENG 100 - Engineering Lecture		-
CE 195 - Introduction to Engineering	-
PHYSICS 106 - General Physics (Mechanics)	-
TOTALS

Table 4.2 gives an example of an engineering curriculum. Such a curriculum does not tend to vary significantly among colleges and universities or engineering disciplines. Note that the curriculum described adheres to the requirements of ABET. That curriculum is based on the semester system. Many universities operate on the quarter system in which the academic year is divided into three periods of about 12 weeks duration. A quarter-based-curriculum would of course be "packaged" differently but would be similar to one based on the semester system.

About 70 percent of the world's population lives in the less developed countries. What is more noteworthy about this situation is that the rate of economic growth of the developed countries exceeds the rate of economic growth of the underdeveloped countries, creating an ever-widening gap between the richest and poorest nations, as can be seen from the graph in Figure 20-3. Especially alarming in this regard is the fact that during the decade 1960-1970 agricultural output in the underdeveloped countries increased at an average annual rate of 2.7 percent per year while the population of these countries increased at an annual average rate of 2.8 percent (United Nations 1973), creating an absolute deterioration in their living standards.

Figure 7.6 shows that the average turbidity factor for the atmosphere (Linke turbidity) has increased by 30 per cent in a decade (the dot-and-dash line). It also shows the effect of a natural source of turbidity, the Mount Agung (Bali) eruption of 1963 (the single, continuous line). In the figure the dotted line represents the linear trend for the same period if the effects of the eruption are excluded from the computations.

In the techniques of action research and the laboratory method, learning, change, and growth are seen to be facilitated best by an integrated process that begins with here-and-now experience followed by collection of data and observations about that experience. The data are then analyzed and the conclusions of this analysis are fed back to the actors in the experience for their use in the modification of their behavior and choice of new experiences. Learning is thus conceived as a four-stage cycle, as shown in Figure 2.1. Immediate concrete experience is the basis for observation and reflection. These observations are assimilated into a "theory" from which new implications for action can be deduced. These implications or hypotheses then serve as guides in acting to create new experiences.

Description of graphs, charts and tables (2)

Speech models used when describing graphs (tables, diagrams)

As can be seen	from in	the	chart, diagram, table, graph, figures, statistics,	…..
It can be seen We can see	that...

…..	can be seen	from in	the	chart, diagram, graph, figures, statistics,
is shown

As can be seen	from in	Table 1, Figure 2, Graph 3,
It can be seen We can see

From	Table 1 Figure 2	it	can may	be	seen concluded shown estimated calculated inferior	that...
the	figures chart diagram

The graph Figure 1

shows

that...

In this article, we will look at the basic phrases to describe statistics or graphs in German, such as statistics, tables, charts, plans, diagrams, etc.

Wie der Titel der Grafik schon sagt, geht es um…— As is already clear from the title of the graph, we are talking about...
Die Grafik / Statistik liefert Informationen zum Thema …, und zwar darüber, wie / was …— This graph presents data on the topic...
In der Grafik wurden Meinungen zu … ausgewertet.— This graph shows an analysis of opinions on...
Die Statistik gibt die Auskunft darüber, wie die Befragten zum Thema … stehen.— Statistics show data on how respondents feel about the topic...

Links / Rechts / Oben / Unten / Seitlich stehen die Angaben zu …— On the left / right / top / bottom / sides you see data on ...
Die Angaben beziehen sich auf…— The data refers to...
Die Zahlen sind Prozentangaben.— Numbers represent percentage data.
Die Zahlen geben die Anzahl der Nennungen wider.— Numbers indicate the number of answers.

Es ist zu beobachten, dass…— On the graph we see that...
Die Grafik macht deutlich, dass…— The schedule makes it clear that...
Die Grafik zeigt, dass…— The graph shows that...
Die Grafik vedeutlicht eine Tendenz, dass…— The graph highlights the trend that...

Im letzten Quarter- In the last quarter
Im laufenden Jahr- This year
In diesem Monat ist folgende Entwicklung zu verzeichnen …— The following development is observed this month.
Vergleicht man die Zahlen des letzten Quartals mit den aktuellen Zahlen, kann man eine Steigerung / Senkung beobachten.— If you compare the numbers of the last quarter with the current one, you can see growth/decline.
Die Kurve von… steigt, wächst / sinkt, fällt.— The line... is rising/falling.
Es gibt eine Zunahme von…auf…— There is an increase from ... to ...
Zu diesem Zeitpunkt nehmen die Zahlen um 10% zu.— In this time period, the numbers increased by 10%.
Danach gehen die Zahlen wieder zurück.“Then the numbers dropped again.”
Hier ist ein Anstieg / Rückgang zu betrachten.— There is a boom/bust here.
Die Höchstzahl für … beträft 70%.— The highest figure is 70%.

Besonders auffalend ist…- What is especially striking is that...
Eine extreme Entwicklung zeigt sich bei …— Rapid development is visible in...

… steht an erster/ zweiter/ dritter Stelle auf der Skala.- ... is in first / second / third place
Direkt danach kommt..., gefolgt von...- Next comes..., following...
Die drei wichtigsten Zahlen sind …— The three most important numbers are...

There was a (very)

barely noticeable slight slow gradual steady marked dramatic steep sharp rapid sudden

rise. increase. upward tend.

fluctuation.

downward trend. decrease. decline reduction. fall. drop.

There was a(n)

rise increase

decrease decline reduction fall drop

Aus der Grafik geht hervor, dass…- Based on the graph it follows that...
Anhand der Grafik lässt sich sagen, dass …— Following the graph, we can say that
Anhand der Grafik kann man behaupten / vermuten, dass …— Based on the graph / according to the graph, it can be assumed that ...