How should I deal with the names of labels in graphs and charts in AC Task 1 essays?
You should not try to change the labels in graphs and charts as this can lead to mistakes that can affect the accuracy of your summary. Try to imagine that you are writing a summary for someone who has never seen the graph, so you have to make it really clear which categories you are referring to.
Here are some examples that show you the danger of trying to find synonyms for labels in graphs.
Example 1
With this chart, if you wrote England instead of Great Britain, this would be incorrect as England is only part of Great Britain.
If you used a thesaurus, you might find the following synonyms for bicycle:
bike (too informal); velocipede (very old-fashioned. How do you know? Well, have you heard anyone use that word recently?)
Example 2
Here the labels at the bottom of the graph are specific attractions in the city of Brighton, so these cannot be changed.
Example 3
Here are some typical mistakes that you could make if you try to paraphrase the labels for these pie charts:
Writing gas bills instead of utility bills (gas bills are just one type of utility bill)
Writing holidays instead of leisure (leisure time does not only refer to holidays)
NB Be careful if you there is a category labelled ‘other’.
Which sentence is clearer?
a. New Zealanders spent more on leisure than on other things.
b. New Zealanders spent more on leisure than on ‘other’ costs, which was the category with the lowest expenditure.
Option b is better as it makes it really clear you are referring to a specific category called ‘other’ rather than any of the other expenses such as transport or utility bills.
Rather than trying to change the names of labels, you can show the examiner your range of vocabulary in other ways by:
· describing trends, e.g. a steady increase/the figures fluctuated
· making comparisons, e.g. far more was spent on rent than on other bills
· using superlatives, e.g. Football was by far the most popular sport.
· using fractions, e.g. a quarter of all students
· approximation language, e.g. approximately/just under half
· cohesive devices, e.g. In contrast,…
For more information about how to use a range of vocabulary in Task 1, have a look at this article:
