DSE English | Chart and Data Description Writing Prep Guide (for tutors) | 200 words, 13 figures, four fixed paragraphs

2026-11-03

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary English

Students copy every number from the chart and produce a list. This lesson teaches the opposite: one trend sentence first, then a few figures that support it, and nothing else.

Objectives — Students will be able to: (1) state the one-sentence trend of a chart within thirty seconds (rising, falling, flat, fluctuating); (2) cite only 13 figures across 200 words in four paragraphs (about 6.5 per hundred words), each figure followed by an interpretation; (3) compare two series on the same unit and the same time base, never writing a percentage change without a starting point.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Comparatives and superlatives	When do you use higher and when the highest	Two items vs three or more
Percentage and percentage point	Going from 20% to 30% is ten points; what is that in percent	A 50% increase
Objective tone	Should a chart description use I think	No; use The chart shows

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-5 min	One trend sentence	Cover the numbers, look only at direction	One sentence on the overall move
5-15 min	Choose thirteen figures	At most three or four per paragraph	Thirteen in total, nothing else
15-25 min	Interpret each figure	Add a so-what sentence after each number	Figures paired with meaning
25-40 min	Write 200 words in four paragraphs	Fifty words per paragraph, timed	All four parts present
40-45 min	Exit check	Trend, figure count, units	All three correct

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Trend first, numbers second: one sentence sets the whole answer

A data question usually gives one line graph with 8 time points and one bar chart with 5 categories, 13 data points in total. At 200 words in four paragraphs of 50 words, cite only 13 figures, which is 6.5 per hundred words, or roughly one every fifteen words.
Step one is to cover every number and look only at the direction of the line, then say it in one sentence: overall rising, overall falling, rising then falling, or broadly flat. That sentence is the spine of paragraph one and the first thing an examiner looks for. Without it, any number of figures is just a copied table.
The pattern is fixed: The chart shows a steady rise in X from A to B, with the sharpest increase between C and D. One sentence already carries direction, endpoints and the steepest stretch; the remaining paragraphs only add detail.

Ask the student: with the numbers covered, what is the one-sentence trend of this line.

Scene 2: Cite thirteen figures and leave the rest out

Distribution across the answer: paragraph one uses 2 figures (start and end), paragraph two uses 4 to support the steepest stretch, paragraph three uses 4 for the second series, paragraph four uses 3 for a contrast or an exception, giving 13 in total.
Why cap it? Every figure needs about fifteen words of interpretation. Thirty figures means no interpretation at all, which is a list, and the marking scheme rewards interpretation of each figure used.
Discarded figures are not wasted: their job is to confirm whether the trend holds. Read everything, choose, then never look at the chart again.

Ask the student: if a paragraph may cite four figures, which four best support its point.

Scene 3: Compare on the same unit and the same base, or say nothing

The most common faulty sentence is Sales rose by 20%, because it gives no starting value, no unit and no period. A passable version is: Sales rose by 20%, from 1.2 million to 1.44 million units, between 2020 and 2023.
Keep percentage and percentage point apart: going from 20% to 30% is ten percentage points, which is also a 50% increase. Both statements are correct, but the writer must say which one is meant, and must not write rose by 10% to mean 20% to 30%.
When two series are compared, the time base must match: same year, same quarter, same currency. Different bases make the comparison invalid, so demonstrate one faulty example live in class.

Ask the student: from 20% to 30%, is that a rise of 10% or 50%, and what does each phrasing describe.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Trend sentence	One sentence on the overall direction	Direction, endpoints, steepest stretch	rose steadily from 1.2m to 1.44m, sharpest in 2022
Figure support	Two figures for the steepest stretch	Give period, unit, size of change	from 1.2m to 1.4m, a 17% rise
Series comparison	Compare two categories	Same time, same unit, state gap and direction	twice as high, at 40% versus 20%
Exception or fluctuation	Point out a deviation from the trend	State the exception, then one possible cause	fell in 2020 only, likely due to the pandemic

Sanity check (teach this): Check three numbers: 200 words, four paragraphs of 50 words, 13 figures cited, 6.5 per hundred words. A script with twenty-five figures has become a list and must be cut to thirteen. Also check that every figure is followed by interpretation: two consecutive figures with no reading means the writer is copying the table.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Write a trend sentence: 1.2 million to 1.44 million, steepest in 2022.	Sales rose steadily from 1.2 million to 1.44 million, with the sharpest rise in 2022.	Carries direction, endpoints and the steepest stretch
Correct: Sales rose by 20%.	Sales rose by 20%, from 1.2 million to 1.44 million units, between 2020 and 2023.	Adds base, unit and period
From 20% to 30%, write two correct versions.	It rose by 10 percentage points, which is a 50% increase.	Percentage and percentage point kept apart

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Table copying	In 2019 it was 12. In 2020 it was 15. In 2021 it was 19.	“Every number needs a so-what clause, otherwise the reader may as well read the chart.”
Mixing percentage and percentage point	Writing rose by 10% for 20% to 30%	“Ten points and ten percent are different things; say which one you mean.”
Comparison without a second side	twice as many (with nothing to compare)	“A comparison needs two sides. Which is the other one?”
Adding personal opinion	I think this is good for the company.	“Describe only. If you give a cause, use likely due to.”

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

DSE English Paper 2 practice paper (data response) — Part A: use the four-paragraph structure, cap the answer at 200 words and thirteen figures, and underline every figure.
Same paper, reading section — Questions 6 to 8: copy three sentences that describe a trend, then rewrite each in your own words.

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
First step in describing a chart	Cover the numbers and write one trend sentence	Answering “copy each number” means reteach
How many figures in 200 words	Thirteen, about 6.5 per hundred words	Answering twenty-five means reteach density
Two correct readings of 20% to 30%	Up ten percentage points, or up 50%	Only one reading means reteach units

09 Tutor FAQ

May I write I think?

No. Data questions need objective description: use The chart shows or This suggests.

Must every figure be used?

No. Read them all, then choose thirteen; the rest only confirm the trend.

Does the last paragraph need a conclusion?

One sentence summarising the trend is enough, and no recommendations unless the question asks.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.