TEACHER’S NOTES

Describing diagrams
by Elena Filimonova, Aislyu Ryukova & Dina Valieva

Teaching notes
FUN WITH IELTS TEACHER’S NOTES

Activity type: Describing game

Student grouping: Pairs • The teacher may also decide to award extra
Time needed: 20 minutes approx. points for grammar and vocabulary accuracy.

Skills practised: Vocabulary and grammar
review, listening comprehension, describing,
paraphrasing and presenting information orally
Materials: One copy of the Diagram 1 and
Diagram 2 worksheets per pair; two sheets of
plain paper per pair
Summary: This speaking game practises
students’ ability to select and summarize
information presented in the form of a diagram.
Preparation
Divide students into pairs. Give one student in
the pair a copy of the Diagram 1 worksheet. The
other student will need a blank sheet of paper
and a pen/pencil. Explain that they are talking on
the phone and the second student is not allowed
to see the diagram on the worksheet.
How to play the game
The object of the game is to draw a precise
picture of a diagram from only spoken
instructions.
• In describing diagrams for the IELTS exam,
students are required to not just read but also
fully understand the information presented to
them. This activity helps them to do that.
• A possible way of beginning the conversation:
Hello, sir/madam. My name is … I’m from the
Department of Statistics. Could you describe
the data you’ve got? I need to copy it down
urgently. Unfortunately, the internet isn’t
available at the moment.
• Examples of key vocabulary: line graph,
diagram, present, show, data, decline, fall,
go up, go down, increase, peak, vertical
axis, horizontal axis, average, in comparison
with, etc.
• The worksheet contains a line graph and a
bar chart; you may wish to try this activity with
other types of diagrams that appear in the
IELTS exam, such as pie charts and tables.

Allow the student with the diagram

approximately two to three minutes to study it.
Then, they must describe the diagram on the
worksheet to their partner, who should draw an
identical picture on their blank piece of paper.
You may wish to set a time limit of, for example,
five minutes.

The students then swap their roles and repeat

the task again with the Diagram 2 worksheet.

When both students have drawn their diagrams,

they should show each other their pictures and
compare them to the original diagrams.

The student who draws the most precise

picture wins.
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EXAMS / Fun with IELTS / Describing diagrams

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TEACHER’S
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Diagram 2: The graph shows the hours spent in different study methods during a two year course.

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Describing diagrams

EXAMS / Fun with IELTS / Describing diagrams

Internet
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Lectures
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by Elena Filimonova, Aislyu Ryukova & Dina Valieva

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Diagram 3: The bar chart shows the number of children in two different age groups in an average class in different countries.

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Describing diagrams

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Age 13
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by Elena Filimonova, Aislyu Ryukova & Dina Valieva

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