How to describe charts, graphs, and

diagrams in the presentation

Graphs, Charts & Diagrams
Data can be represented in many ways. The 4 main types of graphs are a bar graph or bar
chart, line graph, pie chart, and diagram.

Bar graphs are used to show relationships between different data series that are independent
of each other. In this case, the height or length of the bar indicates the measured value or
frequency. Below, you can see the example of a bar graph which is the most widespread visual
for presenting statistical data.

Line graphs represent how data has changed over time. This type of charts is especially useful
when you want to demonstrate trends or numbers that are connected. For example, how sales
vary within one year. In this case, financial vocabulary will come in handy. Besides, line graphs
can show dependencies between two objects during a particular period.

1
Pie charts are designed to visualize how a whole is divided into various parts. Each segment of
the pie is a particular category within the total data set. In this way, it represents a percentage
distribution.

Diagram is a plan, drawing, or outline created to illustrate how separate parts work and overlap
at the connecting points.
2
 How to begin a description
Once you create a fascinating graph for your presentation, it is time to know how to describe
graphs, charts, and diagrams. To catch your audience’s attention from the very beginning, you
can use the following phrases for introduction:

 Let me show you this bar graph…

 Let’s turn to this diagram…
 I’d like you to look at this map…
 If you look at this graph, you will notice…
 Let’s have a look at this pie chart…
 If you look at this line chart, you will understand…
 To illustrate my point, let’s look at some charts…

3
 How to describe diagrams and other visuals: naming
the parts
To describe diagrams or any other type of graphs as clearly as possible, you should name
each visual element. For example:

 The vertical axis shows…

 The horizontal axis represents…

 This curve illustrates…

 The solid line shows…

 The shaded area describes…

 This colored segment is for…

 The red bar…

How to describe bar graphs

Bar graphs transform the data into separate bars or columns. Generally, this type of visuals
have categories on the x-axis and the numbers on the y-axis. So, you can compare statistical
data between different groups.

The bar graphs show which category is the largest and which is the smallest one. Each group
should be independent so that the changes in one do not influence others. The bars or columns
can be drawn either vertically or horizontally, as it doesn’t make any difference.

The words used to describe bar chart are pretty similar to ones used for the line charts. Let’s
have a look at the exam question to IELTS writing test, as it’s one of the major English-language
tests for non-native English speakers in the world:

4
And here is an excellent example of writing about bar graphs prepared by the British Council as
an answer to this exam question. You can also use the following vocabulary to talk about bar
charts used in your presentation:

5
How to describe line graphs
Now, when you know how to describe bar charts, what about line graphs? This type of charts
converts information into points on a grid that is connected with a line to represent trends,
changes, or relationship between objects, numbers, dates, etc. These lines show movement
over time affected by the increase or decrease in the key factors.

To express the movement of the line, you should use appropriate verbs, adjectives, and
adverbs depending on the kind of action you need to show. For this, you should use the
following vocabulary:

6
Verbs: rise, increase, grow, go up to, climb, boom, peak, fall, decline, decrease, drop, dip, go
down, reduce, level up, remain stable, no change, remain steady, stay constant, stay, maintain
the same level, crash, collapse, plunge, plummet.

Adjectives: sharp, rapid, huge, dramatic, substantial, considerable, significant, slight, small,
minimal, massive.

Adverbs: dramatically, rapidly, hugely, massive, sharply, steeply, considerably, substantially,

significantly, slightly, minimally, markedly.

There is also a list of adverbs to describe the speed of a change: rapidly, quickly, swiftly,

suddenly, steadily, gradually, slowly.

To help you understand how you can use these words in your presentation speech, pay
attention to the sample of a line chart with the exam question for IELTS:

The appropriate vocabulary below will help you understand how to describe such charts:

7
 How to describe pie charts
The pie chart is primarily used to illustrate how different parts make up a whole. The best way to
present your data in a pie chart is to compare the categories with each other. The following
comparison words can be used interchangeably:

 to compare

 compared to

 as opposed to

 versus

 more than
8
 the majority of

 only a small monitory

 greater than

 less than

Here we have an example of a pie chart that represents how internet users aged 16+ prefer to
browse the web:

This example demonstrates the best way to summarize data by selecting and reporting the
main features:

9
How do you describe a bar graph?
Bar graphs divide the data into separate bars and lets you track progress over time. To describe
the graph, follow the trend from left to right and describe if it does down, up, or stays the same.

10
How do you describe a line graph?
A line graph plots data in a single line over time. To describe the graph, follow it’s progress
along the horizontal access and describe whether it goes down, up, or stays the same.

How do you describe a pie chart?

A pie chart divides data into separate sections to show which individual parts make up the
whole. To describe the chart, compare each “slice” of the chart to the others to determine what
share of the total each category has.

11