Graphical skills involve selecting, constructing, reading and interpreting a range of graphs and charts. You need to be able to work with line graphs, bar charts, histograms, pie charts, scatter graphs, population pyramids, and dispersion diagrams. These skills are tested across all three papers and are essential for presenting and analysing data in fieldwork and issue evaluation.
When describing graphs, make sure you mention the general pattern -- when it is going up and down, and any peaks and troughs. You should also mention any anomalies and refer to specific data points.
Q: Use the graph to describe population change in Cheesecham.
A: The population halved between 1970 and 1980, from 40 thousand people to 20 thousand people. It then increased to 100 thousand by 2000, before falling slightly and staying steady at 90 thousand from 2010 to 2020.
Key tip: When reading graphs, always check the scale -- do not assume that every division is worth just one.
Exam Tips
•When describing graphs, always mention the general trend first, then refer to specific data points with figures. Mention any peaks, troughs, and anomalies.
•For bar charts and histograms, always check the scale carefully -- each division may not be worth 1.
•When completing pie charts, remember the whole pie = 360 degrees. To convert a percentage to degrees: (percentage / 100) x 360.
•For scatter graphs, describe the correlation type (positive, negative, or none), the strength (strong or weak), and how close points are to the line of best fit.
•A line of best fit does NOT have to go through the origin (0,0). Draw it through the middle of the scatter of points.
•When reading values from any graph, use a ruler to draw lines across to the axes for accuracy.
•Population pyramids: wide base = high birth rate (LIC), narrow base = low birth rate (HIC), wide top = high life expectancy.
•For dispersion diagrams, each dot = one piece of data. Count carefully and look for the most common category (mode).
•In the exam, you might be asked to suggest the most appropriate type of graph for given data -- think about what the data shows (change over time = line graph, categories = bar chart, proportions = pie chart, relationships = scatter graph).