Have a look at the graph in Figure 1. Imagine you had to describe this graph to your colleagues at work, or your teacher at university. What would you say?

Interpreting Graphs (and other visuals)

Trying to interpret graphs can be intimidating at first, especially if English is not your first language. But being able to work with graphs, charts, and other visuals is an important part of your academic or working life. It will help you understand information quickly and effectively – and will also help you share information with others.

Step 1: Explain the Purpose

Let’s try to interpret Figure 1. Firstly, we need to explain the purpose of the data. What information is being conveyed by the graph?

Figure 1 is a bar chart (also called a ‘column chart’), which compares household expenditure in four countries from different regions of the world. Along the x-axis we can see eight categories of household expenditure (transport, housing, etc.), and the y-axis represents the proportion of income spent on that category.

Step 2: Describe the most important results

Next, we need to refer to the visual to describe the most important results. We should also compare and contrast results across different countries.

When describing Figure 1, we can point out that the most significant items of household expenditure in all four countries are food and drink, and housing. What would you say to compare the proportion of expenditure by country? Are there any surprising or unexpected trends?

Step 3: Make Appropriate Conclusions

Lastly, we should make appropriate conclusions. It is important to remember that our conclusions must be supported by the data presented in the graph. What could we conclude about household expenditure from the data in Figure 1? Perhaps it would be helpful to see more data in order to draw more interesting conclusions - such as a comparison of the countries’ income levels.

Present your Findings

You might need to share your interpretation of a graph in an essay or report to your teacher. Perhaps you need to present them in a meeting, or in an informal email to your colleagues. In any case, you’ll need to pick the right vocabulary and grammar, and structure your argument in a clear way.

To try steps 1-3 for this graph and to see a model answer, start learning with our Academic English course. Just click here to get started with a free trial.

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