Bar charts
Bar charts show grouped data as rectangular bars with spaces between the bars, e.g. the number of tourists visiting a resort each month.
When describing a bar chart, you should include: -
- The total e.g. total number of tourists per year.
- The highest and lowest amounts (by month) shown by the tallest and shortest bars.
- A comparison of the bars by noting differences between them.
Divided bar chart
Divided bar charts split up each rectangular bar to break the information down further.
Divided bar charts are sometimes drawn horizontally and can often be used an alternative to pie charts if the data is given in percentages.
When describing a divided bar chart, you should include: -
- The proportion or percentage of one bar compared to another.
- The highest and lowest figures shown by the biggest and smallest bar.
- The differences indicated by the size of each bar.
Question
Describe the differences of age groups visiting the tourist resort over the year.
Hints
- describe which month has highest number and quote the number
- do the same for the lowest number
- note if there are any patterns in the graph between seasons of the year
- do the above for each age category
February is the lowest number of visitors for people aged 0-18 whereas June, July and August are most popular with approx. 100 visitors.
For those aged 19-39, February and May are very low compared to August, which is the highest.
In the 40-59 category, February and November are low months whereas April and August have the most visitors with approx. 1500 people.
Finally, for 60+, January and November are very low with July and August being the highest with approx. 1200.
