GRAPHS AND CHARTS “I’d like to refer to the first graph. As you can see, this is a bar graph measuring net sales over the first ten months of the year. You’ll notice that sales rose steadily in the first few months, then there was a marked increase in April. They peaked in May at around 3.2 million, and levelled off, then there was a dramatic drop in the following month, followed by a significant increase in August, and this trend has continued up until the present”. “What was the reason for the sudden drop in July?” “This was mainly due to a drop-off in air conditioner sales, so it’s a seasonal effect”. “Could it be a consequence of the negative effect of the interest rate rise?” “Possibly. Now, if I could draw your attention to this next diagram. This is a line graph of sales. The blue line represents heater sales, the red line shows air conditioners. As you’ll note, heater sales dropped steadily from January to July, bottoming out then, while air conditioner sales experienced a sharp increase from March to June, then dropped markedly from June to July, then declined through to September, with a pronounced drop in October”. “Does this explain the fluctuation in total sales?” “Largely. If we look at this pie diagram, you can see that air conditioners and heaters together represent more than half of our total sales but they vary seasonally, while other appliances are fairly steady through the year”. “Well, we can’t sell air conditioners when it’s cold. What’s the solution?” “Export to Australia”. “Easier said than done”.

CHARTS AND GRAPHS Bar graph (or column graph) Line graph Pie diagram (or pie chart) I’d like to refer to the first graph If we have a look at this graph If I could direct your attention to the first graph Looking at the graph on the screen Describing trends: Increase in numbers Rise Climb Improvement Upturn To increase To rise To climb To improve There was an improvement in the figures for April. Figures for April have improved. Decrease Fall Decline Worsening Downturn To decrease To fall To decline To worsen There has been a decline in sales since June. Sales since June have declined.

Significant Marked Massive Pronounced Substantial Slight Insignificant Sharp Dramatic Sudden Steady Moderate There was a dramatic increase in sales. Sales increased dramatically. There was a steady rise in sales. Sales rose steadily. There was a significant fall in sales. Sales fell significantly. There was a slight recovery in sales. Sales recovered slightly. Describing causes: Due to The drop in sales is due to an interest rate rise. A consequence of The drop in sales is a consequence of… Because of The drop in sales is because of….. A result of The drop in sales is a result of…..