Name: _________________________________________ Foundation English
REPORT WRITING (PART I) TRENDS, PATTERNS AND GENERAL DIRECTIONS
For each source (tables, graphs, charts, etc.), there is a few useful verbs and nouns to express the
movement or trend.
Describing trends
Trends are changes or movements in facts and figures over a period of time. Three basic trends are:
There are a number of useful verbs and nouns that can be used to express the trend for each source
(graphs, tables, charts, etc.).
For example:
The number of bullying cases fell.
Or we can use a related noun, for example:
There was a fall in bullying cases.
Direction Verbs Nouns
Rose (to) A rise
Increased (to) An increase
Went up (to) Growth
Climbed (to) An upward trend
Boomed A boom (a dramatic rise)
Fell (to)
Declined (to)
Decreased (to) A decrease
Dipped (to) A decline
Dropped (to) A fall
Went down (to) A drop
Slumped (to) A slump (a dramatic fall)
Reduced (to) A reduction
Levelled out (at)
Did not change
Remained stable (at) A levelling out
Remained steady (at) No change
Stayed constant (at)
Maintained the same level
Fluctuated (around) A fluctuation
Peaked (at) Reached a
Plateaued (at) peak (of)
Stood at (we use this phrase to Reached at
focus on a particular point, plateau (at)
before we mention the
movement, for example:
In the first year, unemployment
stood at … )
1
Name: _________________________________________ Foundation English
Sometimes, we need to give more information about a trend as follows:
*There has been a slight increase in the value of Ringgit Malaysia. (degree of change)
*Bullying cases fell rapidly last two years. (the speed of change)
In these sentences, we modify a noun with an adjective (a slight increase) and a verb with an adverb
(to increase slightly).
Describing the degree of change Describing the speed of change
Adjectives Adverbs Adjectives Adverbs
dramatic dramatically rapid rapidly
sharp sharply quick quickly
huge swift swiftly
steep steeply sudden suddenly
substantial substantially steady steadily
considerable considerably gradual gradually
significant significantly slow slowly
moderate moderately
slight slightly
small
minimal minimally
TUTORIAL DISCUSSION
Practice 1
Words for describing graphs:
The verbs in the box on the right can all be used to describe changes commonly represented on line
graphs. Use your dictionary to look up the meanings of the verb and then answer the following
questions:
1. Which five verbs mean go up? plummet increase
2. Of these, which 3 mean go up suddenly/ a lot? peak soar
3. Which 5 verbs mean go down? rocket fluctuate
4. Which verb means reach its highest level? level out drop
5. Which verb means stay the same? decrease decline
6. Which verb means go up and down? rise fall
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Name: _________________________________________ Foundation English
Practice 2
Now, using the verbs above, complete the sentences using the information shown on the graphs.
Book sales 1990 - 1999
80000
60000
40000
20000
0
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Book sales January - December 2000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Answer the questions below;
1. In the year 2000, sales __________ at the beginning of August.
2. Sales rocketed between 19____ and 19____.
3. From 1992 to 1993, sales of the book __________.
4. Book sales fluctuated between __________ and __________ 2000.
5. Sales __________ between September and November 2000.
6. Sales started to fall for the first time in 19____.
7. Book sales __________ from 1994 to 1997.
8. However, from 1997 to 1999, sales __________.
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Name: _________________________________________ Foundation English
Practice 3
Changes can also be described in more detail by modifying a verb with an adverb. Using a verb from
the box on the left, and an adverb from the box on right, make sentences describing the changes
represented on the above graphs.
The first one has been done for you as an example.
increase fall slightly slowly sharply
decrease rise rapidly steadily gradually
decline drop moderately dramatically
1. 1990 – 1992
Sales increased / rose dramatically / sharply.
2. 1992 – 1994
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3. 1994 – 1997
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4. 1997 – 1999
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5. July – August 2000
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6. November – December 2000
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Practice 4
Look at the chart and complete the sentences describing the data.
ringgit 150
(RM)
100 cost
50 profit
0
2004 2005 2006
Between 2004 and 2006, costs (1) ___________________ dramatically, (2) _________________
50 ringgit to 100 ringgit. There was a sharp (3) _____________________ in profit, which fell from 100
ringgit to 50 ringgit over the same (4) ______________________. By 2006, costs were (5)
_______________________ as high as profit.
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Name: _________________________________________ Foundation English
REPORT WRITING (PART II) ANALYSING AND PRESENTING INFORMATION IN LINEAR FORM
There are few steps need to be taken in presenting information in linear form effectively.
1. Read the question and get all the relevant information from the non-linear texts.
2. Find out the types of writing that you are required to produce (report, letter, and article).
3. Skim and scan the non-linear texts. Pay attention on the titles, labels and notes.
4. Integrate all the information that have been gathered.
5. Write the outline of the report. The following is the recommended structure for writing the
outline.
Provide an overview of the information presented
Introduction Provide the main idea of the writing
Highlight significant and relevant data
Indicate and examine the trends shown
Body
Compare and contrast the stimuli
Draw a conclusion from the information
Conclusion
Example 1:
One Stimulus (Bar Chart)
40
Percentage of commuters
35
30
25 1990
20 2000
15 2010
10
5
0
Train Car Motorcycle Bus
Mode of transport and years
5
Name: _________________________________________ Foundation English
Write a report describing the information shown. Your report should be between 150 to 200 words.
Different Modes of Commuter Transport in Kuala Lumpur
The bar chart shows the changing patterns in commuting by train, car, motorcycle or bus for
commuters in Kuala Lumpur in 1990, 2000 and 2010.
The number of people using train at first rose from just under 20% in 1990, but then fell back to
about 23% in 2010.
The use of motorcycle has been relatively stable, falling from around 28% of commuters in 1990
to 22% in 2000, but climbing back to reach 25% by 2010.
On the other hand, the use of cars increased steadily from just over 5% in 1990 to 23% in 2000,
reaching almost 40% by 2010, whereas the popularity of buses has declined since 1990, falling from
just under 35% in 1990 to 27% in 2000 and only 15% in 2010.
The bar chart indicates the growing use of cars for commuting to work between 1990 and 2000,
and the corresponding decline in the popularity of buses from being the most popular mode of
transport in 1980 to the least popular in 2010.
Often you will be asked to describe and compare information from more than one chart. When you
do this it is important to analyse any connections between the data that is presented. Look at the
second set of graphs, and then read the sample answer.
Example 2:
Two stimuli (Bar Chart and Table)
40
Percentage of commuters
35
30
1990
25
20 2000
15 2010
10
5
0
Train Car Motorcycle Bus
Mode of transport and years
Year Price
Car type 1990 2000 2010
Imported RM180,000 RM135,000 RM98,000
Local RM55,000 RM46,000 RM40,000
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Name: _________________________________________ Foundation English
*Interpretation and outline
Interpret the bar chart (see the interpretation and outline for one stimuli).
Interpret the table. Compare and contrast the price of both the imported and local cars from 1990
to 2010.
Different Modes of Commuter Transport in Kuala Lumpur
The bar chart shows different modes of commuter transport used in Kuala Lumpur and the price of
cars in 1990, 2000 and 2010.
The number of people using train rose from just under 20% in 1990 to 26% in 2000, but fell back
to about 23% in 2010.
Motorcycle use has been relatively stable, falling from around 28% in 1990 to 22% in 2000, but
climbing back to reach 25% by 2010.
The use of cars increased steadily from just over 5% in 1990 to 23% in 2000, reaching almost 40%
by 2010 as the price for both imported and local cars declined. Imported car prices dipped almost 50%
in 20 years, while local car prices fell by RM10,000. The slump in car prices caused an increase in car
ownership, adversely affecting the popularity of buses. Use of buses has declined since 1990, falling
from under 35% in 1990 to 27% in 2000 and 15% in 2000.
The trend indicates that as the price of cars decrease, their use increases, thus impacting on the
other modes of transport.
In conclusion, the charts show changing commuter transport patterns from 1990 to 2010, strongly
influenced by the increased use of cars.
*WRITING TIPS!
Carefully analyse the table / chart before you start writing. What are the topics and the time
frame? What do the numbers and labels represent?
Be clear about what you are describing: A number? A percentage? A price?
Start by describing the overall situation.
DO NOT describe every single detail. Find only important trends and highlight the most
significant data.
Try NOT to keep repeating the same language and sentence structure.
DO NOT describe the reasons or give your own opinions – stick to the facts.
Finish with a concluding sentence summarizing what we learn from the chart.
7
Name: _________________________________________ Foundation English
TUTORIAL DISCUSSION
Practice 1
Study the graph and answer the following questions.
Reported Offences in Cities with a Population of 100 000 and
40000 Over
35000
No. of Crimes (000)
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
A B C D E F
City
Rape Robbery Aggravated Assault
1. What is the purpose of the graph?
2. Which city had a similar number of aggravated assaults and robberies?
3. Which criminal offence should the authorities pay more attention to? Give your reasons.
4. Which city is probably the safest to live in?
Practice 2
Based on the answers that you have provided in Practice 1, write a short report in between 150 to 200
words.
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Name: _________________________________________ Foundation English
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