Describe Image Template:

Structure to Describe Image

1. Introduction: Identify the type of image (graph, bar diagram, pie chart, map, table) & start
with a general statement. Try to paraphrase the title & say the period of time presented on the
graph. Example – The graph shows/displays the number of ITunes songs bought in the year …

2. Detail 1: Explain the overall idea of the image. Or you could also start with the highest value
that draws your attention.

3. Detail 2: A detail that supports this main idea. Or you could also explain the lowest value or
another important information.

4. Conclusion: It is very important as it makes your answer complete. Try to summarize the
graph or provide your point of view for that particular image.

How PTE Describe Image Is Scored:

MARKS CONTENT
Describes all elements of the image and their relationships, possible development
5
and conclusion or implications
Describes all the key elements of the image and their relations, referring to their
4
implications or conclusions
Deals with most key elements of the image and refers to their implications or
3
conclusions
Deals with only one key element in the image and refers to an implication or
2
conclusion. Shows basic understanding of several core elements of the image
Describes some basic elements of the image, but does not make clear their
1
interrelations or implications
0 Mentions some disjointed elements of the presentation

Key Type of Images:

 Graph (Bar Graph, Line Graph)
 Map
 Chart (Pie Chart, Flow Chart)
 Table
 Venn Diagram
 Life Cycle
Vocabulary
Starting Presentation Type Verb Description

shows / represents / depicts /

the comparison of / the
diagram / table / figure / illustrates / presents/ gives /
The given / The differences / the
illustration / graph / figure / provides / describes /
supplied / The number of / information
chart / flow chart / picture/ compares/ shows / figures /
presented / The on / data on / the
presentation/ pie chart / bar gives data on / gives
shown / The proportion of / the
graph/ line graph / table information on/ presents
provided amount of /
data/ data / information information about/ shows data
information on….
about

PTE Describe Image Sample Questions & Responses

The graph compares the amount of leisure time enjoyed by people of different employment
levels.

In the given column graph, no data has been provided for the part-time employed and house-
staying men. Unemployed & retired men -women had approx 85 and 83 hours of spare time
respectively followed by housewives who have 50 hours of leisure time. On the other hand, full-
time employed men & women have comparatively less leisure time

In conclusion, unemployed and retired people enjoyed more leisure time than employed
people.
The bar graph shows how much money is spent on transportation for people in different
household income groups. It appears that as household income increases, the total
expenditures on transportation also increase. This makes sense, because the more money
people have, the more they have available to spend.

The table shows the number of children born to women aged 40–44 years in Australia in 1981,
1986, 1996 and 2006. Overall, by age 40-44 years, the proportion of women who have had
three or more children has fallen considerably since the 1980s, while the proportions who have
had no children, or only one or two children has increased. To conclude, we say that women in
Australia are preferring one child or two children at most.
The bar chart shows the urbanization percentage of the world in 1950 and compares this with
the percentage in 2007 and the projected percentage for 2030.

The highest urbanization between 1950-2007 has happened in Africa & Asia where urbanization
rate has doubled. It is also clear from the graph that, urbanization in Latin America is projected
to be higher than Europe in 2030, in spite of being lower in 1950.
The table shows the portion of national expenditure of 5 countries in three different categories
– food, clothing & education in 2002. In terms of food/drinks/tobacco, & education/leisure
Turkey spent the most, while in terms of clothing/footwear, Italy spent the most. Overall, all
countries – Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Italy, Ireland spent most on food/drinks/tobacco & lowest
expenditure was on leisure/ education.

The given table shows data on underground railway system in six metropolitan cities
namely: London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles. Tokyo railway has the
largest passenger using the system & Kyoto railway has the smallest passenger base. Overall, it
can be inferred from the presentation that most of the early built and longest rail routes have
significantly higher number of passengers, compared to modern and short length transit
systems.
The depicted map illustrates two possible areas for a shopping complex in the city of Brandfield
(overview). The first possible site for the shopping mall, S1, is located north of the city & it is
next to a large housing estate (point 1). The second site (S2) lies to the southeast end of the city
and is fairly close to the city center, but it is near to an industrial estate rather than housing
(point 2). There is a main road that runs through the city and is close to both sites (point 3).
There is a large Golf Course and a park on the west side of the city that prevents this area from
being available as a site (point 4). The city planners should prefer S1 as it will be more
convenient for the residents (conclusion).
The given picture illustrates a small island before and after it was developed for tourism
(overview). The island is 100 meters long, has palm trees, surrounded by the sea and has a
beach at one of its end (point 1). However, turning to the second picture, we can see that most
of the empty space has been occupied to construct new facilities (point 2). Facilities
like accommodations, restaurant, swimming facilities etc have been constructed without
affecting the natural resources that much (point 3). There is also a short road linking the pier
with the reception and restaurant, and every other area is connected via a footpath (point 4).
Overall, tourism facilities made greater development on this island, while it became congested
(conclusion).
Templates for each type:

Template for PTE Describe Image Single Line Graph

In this type you should talk about:

- Highest point
- Second Highest point
- Lowest Point
The Template:
Template for PTE Describe Image Single Pie Chart

In this type you should talk about:

- Largest proportion
- Second Largest proportion
- Smallest proportion

The Template:
Template for PTE Describe Image Multi Bar Chart

In this type you should talk about:

- Highest trend
- Second highest trend
- Lowest trend
The Template:
Template for PTE Describe Image Multi Line Chart

In this type you should talk about:

- Overall trend for the first line
- Overall trend for the second line
- The most significant point for any line or over trend for the third line

The Template:
Template for PTE Describe Image Multi Pie Chart

In this type you should talk about:

- The largest proportion in each
- The smallest proportion in each
The Template:
Template for PTE Describe Image Flow Chart

In this type you should talk about:

- The first step in the process
- State any single step or combine steps
- State any single step or combine steps
- The last step of the process

The Template:
Template for PTE Describe Image Single Bar Chart

In this type you should talk about:

- Highest
- Second highest
- Lowest

Template: