 Impersonal verb phrases: it appears that, it seems that, it tends to be, it is said that, some writers say that, it has been suggested that, it is now generally recognised that  Useful nouns: assumption, claim, estimate, possibility, presumption, chance, likelihood

 Although the information contained in charts and diagrams is normally clear, it usually requires some written comment  It is usual to introduce the information with a general comment and then describe or comment on the most significant or important information

 As can be seen/according to/as it is shown in/it can be seen from (the chart, diagram, table, graph)  From the table/figures/data/results/information it can be concluded/seen/estimated/calculated

 There was a minimal/slight/small/slow/gradual/steady/ marked/large/dramatic/sharp/rapid/ sudden (rise, fluctuation, decrease, decline, reduction, fall, drop)

 Look at the Chart 1 (Distribution of the world’s population by continent) and comment on the percentage of the world’s population living in Europe in 1900 using the information from the chart

 As can be seen from the chart, Europe had the second-largest population in It accounted for 25% of the world’s population in that year, while Asia accounted for more than 50%. It had a considerably larger population than Africa, Latin America, North America and Oceania.

 Comment the information in the graph 1: Population of the UK (p. 71)  Estimate the UK population for the year Base your prediction on the trend shown in the graph

 As can be seen from the graph 1, during the period 1811 to 1991 there was a steady increase in the population growth in the UK. At the beginning of the period the population was around 13 million and by the end it had grown to 56 million. The fastest growth was from 1811 to 1911; thereafter, the growth was more gradual.

 Compare the population of your country and its trend with that of the UK.

 The diagram shows the numbers of live births and deaths in the period from 1950 to The total number of deaths remained close to 50,000 throughout the period. An exception is the period around 1960 which recorded particular lows of slightly above 40,000, but the trend soon recovered. As concerns live births, the situation is vastly different. In the period of 57 years, the number of live births dropped dramatically from as many as 95,000 in 1950 to slightly over 40,000 in The decrease has been relatively steady.

 Look at Diagram 2: Average weekly expenditure per family in Britain (1996) and write generalised comments