ae501 module

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AE501

Communicative

English 3 Teacher/Student’s Copy

By;

Richard Simon (B.Sc. TESL (Linguistics & Literature), UNIMAS)

Siew Min Hui (B. Arts & Edu. (English), USM)

General Studies Department, Mukah Polytechnic Sarawak

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FOREWORD

This module aims to complement students’ English language learning experience for the course

AE501:Communicative English 3. Language enrichment activities are tailored to the requirement of the

syllabus and topically structured so as to engage students in a meaningful contextual learning environment.

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CONTENT Topic Descriptions Page

1 MINI PROJECT

1.1 Interpreting Graphs & Charts

i. Anatomy of Graphs & Charts ii. Describing Trends in Graphs & Charts iii. Extracting Information from Graphs & Charts

1.2 Presenting Mini Project

i. Planning for a Mini Project ii. Executing a Mini Project iii. Gathering of Data for Presentation iv. Preparing End-Report for Mini Project

2 JOB HUNTING MECHANICS

2.1 Analysing Job Advertisements

i. Understanding Job Advertisements

2.2 Job Enquiries

i. Common Job-related Enquiries ii. Make & Reply to Job Enquiries iii. Arrange for an Interview Appointment

2.3 Résumé Writing

i. Present a Comprehensive Résumé Containing Relevant & Accurate

Information

ii. Proofread & Edit Completed Résumé

2.4 Cover Letter Writing

i. Write Solicited & Unsolicited Cover Letter Using Appropriate Business

Letter Format

ii. Proofread & Edit Completed Cover Letter

2.5 Preparing for Job Interviews

i. Job Interviews: Before, During & After

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TOPIC 1

Mini Project This topic aims to develop skills necessary to carry out a mini project and teach

students how to present ideas through the use of graphs and charts.

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1.1 Interpreting Graphs & Charts

i. Anatomy of Graphs & Charts

The first step to being able to interpret information in visual stimuli such as graphs and charts is to be

familiar with their common parts and labels. Below are the most common types of graphs and charts.

Can you name each of them?

Figure 1: Distribution of 3D model design for graphic stimulus

Type of graph/ chart: _____________________________________________________

The chart above normally used to display the size for each part (slice) in percentage (%) of a whole.

Each slice represents a certain data value from the entire population of data for a particular variable,

for example the distribution of male and female students in Class DKM5A, the percentage of English

subject achievement by grade among students in Class DEP5C et cetera.

Unlike other types of graph or chart, the above does not incorporate horizontal (X) and vertical (Y)

axes to plot the data.

slices legends/keys

title

1

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The above graph sometimes also named as ‘column chart’, and is one of the most common type used

to display data, especially in comparing the value for different group of subjects for a particular

variable, such as the number of students born in a particular month for Class DSK5B.


Another type of graph frequently used to describe data, as shown above, is best when there are

changes in the distribution of data in certain period of time. Similarly to the previous graph, the

above uses scale to signify certain variables marked by (X) and vertical (Y) axes. The points/ dots

represent the data (in number) plotted on certain value and connected with lines to illustrate changes.

title

bar scale

2

scale

points/

dots

line

scale

3

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Try-out 1

Below are some sample of graphs and charts. Can you identify any missing part(s) for each?

Missing part(s):

Missing part(s):

1

2

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Missing part(s):

Missing part(s):

3

4

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Try-out 2

A graph or chart would not be complete without a ‘Title’. Can you come up with the best title suitable

for each of the following graphs and charts?

Title: _______

_______

_______

Title:

_______

_______

_______

2

1

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Title:

_______

_______

_______

3

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ii. Describing Trends in Graphs & Charts

Interpretation of graphs and charts, apart from knowing the parts and labels, involves the skill of

describing the trends in which data or information is being presented. ‘Trends’ in graphs and charts

refers to the ‘movement’ – upward, downward or consistent – of the data. Upon understanding this, a

thorough comprehensive analysis of the graphs and charts, as well as the information they convey,

can be achieved.

Look at the examples below, and pay close attention to the words in bold:

Line graph 1:

1. My work increased sharply on

Monday because I had two

classes.

2. My work decreased sharply on

Wednesday because I had no

classes.

3. It stayed the same on Thursday

because I had no classes.

4. It increased sharply again on

Friday because I had two classes

again.

5. It decreased slightly on

Saturday because I had one

class.

Line graph 2:

The x axis of this graph shows the

twelve months of the past year

while our sales in millions of dollars

appear on the y axis. It may be

seen clearly that sales rose

steadily in the first half of the year

(from January to May) and

reached their peak in June. Then

they dropped off in July and

levelled out in August. After rising

sharply during September, they

suffered a dramatic fall in

October but then made a

recovery in November. However,

the year ended with a slight

downturn.

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From both samples of line graph, it is noted that there are certain vocabularies used to explain the

trends or the movement of the data presented, which can be categorized into three types:

Upward Movement:

• increased

• rose

• reached their peak

• made a recovery

• rising

Downward Movement:

• decreased

• dropped off

• fall

• downturn

No Movement:

• stayed the same

• levelled out

As listed above, VERBS are often used to describe trends and movements in graphs and charts. To

complement this, ADVERBS and ADJECTIVES are also used to illustrate the speed or the nature of the

movement:

ADVERBS (adv.) (to be used after the verb)

-sharply, - slightly, - steadily,

ADJECTIVES (adj.) (to be used before the noun)

dramatic-, slight-

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…and of course, it does not stop there.

MORE EXAMPLES

Let’s look at more common trends in the following graphs:

Minimal movement: Maximal movement:

• increased

gradually

• rose slightly

• increased sharply

• rose dramatically

Minimal movement: Maximal movement:

• decreased slightly

• declined

gradually

• decreased sharply

• declined

dramatically

Inconsistent movement (min.): Inconsistent movement (max.):

• fluctuated mildly

• fluctuated wildly

Sudden movement (up): Sudden movement (down):

• spiked at X

• dipped at Y

No movement: No movement after inconsistency:

• remained steady

• stabilised

• levelled-off

No movement after (stopped) increasing No movement after (stopped) decreasing

• peaked at X

• levelled-off at X

• bottomed-out at Y

• levelled-off at Y

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Try-out 1

The following verbs are commonly used in describing trends in graphs and charts. Categorise them

accordingly.

List of verbs:

• climb • decline • decrease • double • drop • expand

• fall • fluctuate • go down • go up • grow • hit a low

• increase • pick up • plunge • reach a high • recover • remain stable

• rise • stabilise • stay the

same

Categories:

Upward movement

Verbs:

Downward movement

Verbs:

No movement

Verbs:

Inconsistent movement

Verbs:

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TALKING or WRITING ABOUT TRENDS

When describing trends in graphs and charts, some ground rules for grammar must always be

adhered to.

Talking about the past, ALWAYS use…

SIMPLE PAST TENSE

…to describe something that occurred in the past and no longer happens in the present.

The oil price rose by 2% last November.

There were 1,500 students graduated in July last year.

The number of school dropouts decreased in September.

From 2003-2004, the company faced stringent economic downturn.

During the dry season, the sales of ice-cream increased drastically.

*(pay close attention to signal words in bold that mark when and where to use the tense)

Talking about the past event, and is still happening in the present, ALWAYS use…

PRESENT PERFECT TENCE

…to describe a situation/ phenomenon that started in the past and continues on to the present.

The number of illegal immigrants has increased since 2000.

The API (Air Pollution Index) has gradually gone up since last few week.

The number of students failing English subject has dropped for the past five years.

Over the past three weeks, the road accident rate has risen slightly due to festive season.

*(pay close attention to signal words in bold that mark when and where to use the tense)

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Try-out 2 Choose the correct statement that corresponds with each graph.

i. The trend in customer numbers was

upward.

ii. Customer numbers fluctuated

slightly.

i. The number of customers fell

drastically.

ii. Numbers fell steadily.

i. Customer numbers fluctuated wildly.

ii. There was a downward trend in

customer numbers.

i. Customer numbers fluctuated

slightly.

ii. Customer numbers were erratic.

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Choose the correct statement that corresponds with each graph.

i. The trend in customer numbers was

upward.

ii. There was a peak in customer

numbers.

i. Customer numbers rocketed.

ii. The trend in customer numbers was

flat.

i. There was a gradual rise in customer

numbers.

ii. Customer numbers soared.

i. Customer numbers plunged.

ii. The trend was flat.

i. Customer numbers reached a

peak.

ii. There was a slight dip in customer

numbers.

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Try-out 3 Study each graph carefully and fill in each black with the correct word/ phrase from the options given.

Options:

• peaked • decreased slowly • started well • stayed the same

• increased slowly • rising sharply • hit rock bottom • increasing sharply

• decreased sharply • remained steady • falling further • fluctuated everyday

Prices ……………………………….. slowly.

Profits ……………………………………………………

then ………………………………………………………

before ………………………………………………………

The price ……………………………. in the middle of

the year.

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Her blood sugar level …………………………………….

every day.

Sales ………………………………………………………..

at first before ………………………………………………

Profits ……………………………………………….. before

…………………………………………….......

Customers ……………………………………………………

then …………………………………………………………

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Try-out 4 Study both graphs below carefully. Then describe the trend (in a complete sentence) based on the

noted years using the given verbs and adverbs. The first one has been done for you.

Verbs Adverbs

• increase • fall • decrease

• rise • decline • drop

• slightly • slowly • sharply • rapidly

• steadily • gradually • moderately • dramatically

1. 1990-1992 �Answer: “Book sales increased sharply.”

2. 1992-1994 � Answer:

3. 1994-1997� Answer:

4. 1997-1999 � Answer:

5. July-August 2000 � Answer:

6. November-December 2000 � Answer:

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THERE’S ALWAYS A REASON FOR EVERYTHING

To complete an interpretation of a graph or chart, a fair justification should be made to explain the

trend of the data presented and subsequently foster an overall understanding of the information the

graphical stimulus tries to convey.

Read and understand the sentences below. Pay special attention to words in italics.

Upon explaining the reason or a cause for certain behaviour, condition, or a situation, the common

expressions “due to…” and “because of…” are often used.

*Others: “as a result of…”, “…was the reason for…”, “…consequently…”, “…resulted in…”

Try-out 1

Rewrite the following sentences by incorporating the expressions “due to…” or “because of…”

(1) Inflation caused a rise in the cost of raw materials.

The cost of raw materials rose due to inflation

(2) Corruption caused a decline in efficiency.

(3) Poor quality control caused an increase in complaints.

(4) A price war among competitors caused a fluctuation in prices.

(5) An increase in accidents caused a dramatic increase in insurance rates.

(6) Higher safety standards led to a sharp drop in accidents.

• Sales fluctuated due to a price war among competitors.

• Airfares increased dramatically because of rising oil prices.

• Investment declined due to higher interest rates.

• Production dropped because of the labour strike.

• The stock price fluctuated wildly due to rumours of bankruptcy.

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Try-out 2

By integrating all that has been learned so far, interpret the following graphs by explaining the trends

and causes for the movement depicted in the graphs.

Events that influenced raw material costs.

1st Quarter: Inflation

2nd Quarter: Entry of new supplier in market.

3rd Quarter: Price war among suppliers.

4th Quarter: Exit of old supplier from market.

Example:

The graph above shows the cost of raw materials for the first, second, third and fourth quarter of the

year. In the first quarter, there was a gradual increase in cost due to inflation. During the second quarter,

the cost of raw materials faced a dramatic drop because of entry of new supplier in the market. The price

war among suppliers in third quarter brought about wild fluctuation in cost of raw materials. A sharp

increase in cost of raw materials was apparent in fourth and final quarter of the year as a result of the

exit of old supplier from the market.

Events that influenced distribution costs.

1st Quarter: Inflation.

3rd Quarter: Speculation in oil markets.

4th Quarter: Fuel shortages.

Interpretation:

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Events that influenced marketing costs.

1st Quarter: A decrease in advertising rates.

2nd Quarter: New advertising campaign.

3rd Quarter: Completion of ad campaign.

Interpretation:

Events that influenced sales.

1st Quarter: Low consumer demand.

2nd Quarter: Price drop.

3rd Quarter: Price war with competitors.

4th Quarter: Strong holiday buying.

Interpretation:

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INTERPRETING OTHER TYPES OF GRAPHS & CHARTS

Not all graphs and charts can be described and interpreted by analysing trends or movements of the

data presented. In cases of pie charts and bar graphs, data are mostly being compared according to

sections.

Study the pie charts below and read the interpretation by paying close attention to the words in bold.

Interpretation:

The two pie charts illustrate preferred modes of communication for six forms of media in a survey undertaken in two DKMXA

classes, one male and the other female, at Mukah Polytechnic in February 2012. A brief description follows.

First, the telephone emerges as the most popular mode for males with a proportion of 27%. It ranks almost as high, at 22%

with females, but is tied in their case with text messaging. Text messaging also ranks high with men, who allot it 1% more. E-

mail and instant messenger are close thirds and fourths in popularity, scoring 17% and 16% respectively for men, 21% and

18% for their counterparts. Last, male students give the fax only 10%, and letters even less, 7%; females reverse the same

percentages.

To conclude, preferences for the six modes of communication are almost identical for the sexes. Both favour communicating

by telephone and text message the most, e-mail and instant messenger the second most, and letter and fax the least. The only

minor difference is that women prefer communicating by letter and men by fax.

It is noted that when analysing pie charts, comparison between data value representing different

sections were made. Apart from that, the analysis also involves ranking the data value from the

highest to the lowest, and sometimes pairs certain sections that share equal value.

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Comparison between data value is also common when analysing bar charts. Study the example below.

Interpretation:

The graph above shows the number of pets owned by the students in Mr. X’s class. There are four

types of pet: dogs, cats, fish and birds.

The most popular pet owned by the students is fish with the total of seven students, closely followed

by dog owners, with only one difference, with the total number of six. Four students in Mr. X’s class

keep cats as their pets and only two students preferred birds as their pets.

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Try-out 1

Study the pie chart below and answer the following questions.

Time spent reading daily.

1. Which one do people prefer to read more: fiction or magazines?

2. Which types of reading material are more popular than the internet?

3. What type of reading material people read the least per day?

Time spent with doctors during general practice consultations.

1. Which two countries give their patients the most time?

2. Which two countries give their patients the least time?

3. Which country gives their patients about the same amount of time as the UK?

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Try-out 2

Study the bar graphs below and answer the following questions.

Student’s daily punctuality for college.

1. On two days the same numbers of students are late. Which days are these?

2. How many students are late on Friday?

3. On which day are the most students late?

4. Why do you think that most students are late on this day?

5. How many more students were absent on Monday than on Tuesday?

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1.2 Presenting Mini Project

In any academic setting, carrying out mini projects such as a small-scale research has been a norm. As

a student, you are required to have the relevant skills to execute a project in order to familiarise you

to an environment involving decision-making, data collecting and interpreting, and presenting

findings from the project.

i. Plan Out a Mini Project – The Steps

The above are roughly some vital steps essential to carrying out a mini project. A proper and careful

planning will help you to start and end the project within time allocated.

1. identify area/ field

2. fix topic

3. select participants

4. prep. materials

5. distribute materials

6. collect data

7. analyse data

8. present findings

9. prepare report

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ii. Executing a Mini Project

What to Investigate (What Do You Hope to Find and Understand)?

Decide on what you want to investigate by, first, setting the area or field of interest:

When you have decided on what you wanted to investigate, you can narrow the scope down by:

Fixing Appropriate Topic/ Project Title

Once the title or topic for the project has been set, the subsequent steps are automatically determined.

Selecting Participants

This involves the WHO or WHAT, which will be the main focus of the project. These subjects should be

addressed appropriately so that the intended project does not stray from achieving its purpose and

goals of investigation. In addition, limit the number of participants accordingly to the needs of the

project.

Before the project is officially launched into the field, it is extremely important to prepare well-

designed and constructed materials for the purpose of data collection.

Technical: theory and practice of engineering domain

Business: marketing, corporate management domain

Social: lifestyle, attitudinal, behavioural domain

Technical:

‘The frequency of machine being used to do lab works

in a week’

Business:

‘The daily sales of local canteen per week’

Social:

‘The number of students visiting the library per

week’

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Materials Preparation

What method/ tools appropriate to gather the intended data or information? The most common ones

are as follow:

After the method or mean of data collection is selected, construct the questions to be included in the

material that directly answer the project’s purpose and goals. Avoid putting items that are irrelevant

and not focusing on the real purpose of the project at hand. Always bear in mind to keep the material

simple, straight forward and easy to understand.

Materials Distribution

Before distributing the materials to the target participants, ensure that those materials are properly

checked for any errors (grammar, spelling etc.) and always get someone to do some peer-checking

and proofreading. It is best to do pilot-testing beforehand to confirm their feasibility.

iii. Data Collection

After the materials were distributed (especially the questionnaires and survey forms), provide ample

time for the participants to tend to the questions, keeping in mind the deadline for your project as

well. ALL materials collected should be of the same amount they were first distributed, as to maintain

the validity of the data analysis afterward.

The next step before analysis of data is classifying the materials based on the responses given by the

participants. This could ease up the calculation of data which proved to be quite a daunting task if it

should be done later.

Analysing and Interpreting Data

There are countless ways to analyse data for easy read and interpretation. One of the most

conventional yet common methods is by tabulating the data into sections, suitable to the items

addressed in the materials. With the technological luxury, tabulated data can be easily transformed

into various types of graph or chart by using certain software or program such as Microsoft Excel.

Choose the best type of graph or chart to illustrate your findings.

Questionnaire

Interview Questions

Observation Chart

Survey Form

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Presenting Findings

All projects’ findings and results should be presented and reported. Incorporate your presentation of

findings with appropriate visual aids (photos, graphs, charts, video etc.) to enhance comprehension

especially on the part of the audiences.

Some Presentation Tips

Getting Ready

1. Prepare materials for presentation

2. Prepare and check venue: space, lighting, tables, chairs, AVA systems

3. Prepare short notes: main points, key ideas

4. Physical and mental promptness: proper attire, calm and composed

Getting Started

1. Request for attention

2. Seek audiences’ readiness

3. Greeting and introduction

4. Reveal the purpose of the presentation and why it is important for the audiences

5. Clearly state the title/ topic of the presentation

Get-a-Move-On

1. Inform the key ideas/main points of the presentation

2. Occasionally confirm audiences’ attentiveness by asking question(s)

3. Be generous with examples, when necessary

4. Explain presentation aids (audio visual materials) comprehensively

5. Keep everything short, simple and direct to the point

Moving towards the End

1. Revise presentation by restating the key points and major highlights of the presentation

2. Check for audiences’ understanding – invite queries

3. Open for comments for future improvement

4. Sum up presentation

5. Thank the audiences’ attendance, attention and participation

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Presentation’s “No-No”

Presentation, especially those involving facts, information and data, must be treated prudently to

avoid any misinterpretation of details and unwanted confusion. The followings will give you an insight

into what NOT to do during presentation of graphs and charts:

Avoid using opinionated remarks – this could tarnish the

credibility of your presentation

Avoid using affective words “I feel…” - this kind of

presentation does not require emotional engagement

Inform the labels in the graph or chart, not describe them.

Do not present information irrelevant to the graph or

chart.

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iv. Preparing End-Report

It is affirmative to end a project with a complete report by documenting all details pertaining the

project: background information, processes and procedures involved, findings and analysis, and

summary.

Basically, the report should contain the following:

Figure: Composition of a Project Report

Conventional Structure of a Written Report

(1) INTRODUCTION

In this introductory paragraph, the background information about the project is informed to the

readers. Few things that need to be made apparent are:

(a) The Title/ Topic of the project/ research

(b) The importance of the project

(c) Describe briefly the present condition in relation to the project

(2) PURPOSE

In this section, provide the OBJECTIVES of the project/ research:

(a) What you want to discover

(b) What questions need answering based on the objectives

(2)

Purpose of Project

(3)

Scope

(4)

Methods

(5)

Findings & Analysis

(6)

Discussions & Conclusion

(1)

Introduction

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(3) SCOPE

Specifically describe:

(a) Who are the participants for the project/ research

(b) Geographical information (the area the project/ research covers)

(4) METHODS

What is/ are used to collect the data/ information? Why chose that particular method(s)?

(5) FINDINGS & ANALYSIS

Generate tables/ graphs/ charts to illustrate the findings. Describe prominent information in the

graphical stimuli and analyse the trends in the graphs/ charts.

(6) DISCUSSIONS & CONCLUSION

What can be summarised from the entire project based on the findings? Was the project successful?

Did it achieve the pre-set purpose(s)? What can be improved? Overall conclusion?

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Make Your Life Much Easier with a Work Schedule!

Planning ahead by structuring the steps needed in completing a mini project can save up valuable

time. Design a work schedule that works best with your time and capability. Here is one example of

work schedule:

A simple checklist works well too.

Summary

This topic has exposed students to the practice of completing a mini project through step-by-step

procedures involving planning phase, organising, executing and presenting the outcome. In parallel to

this, students were also introduced to the linguistic aspects of presenting using lexical items and

sentence structures common in describing and comparing trends and movements in graphs and

charts, both in oral and written form.

Complete written report

for the mini project

WEEK 6

Prepare findings for

presentation

WEEK 5

Generate findings & form

graphs/ charts

WEEK 4

Collect questionnaires & analyse data

WEEK 3

Construct & distribute

questionnaires

WEEK 2

Decide topic/ project title &

scope

WEEK 1

ae501 module

Documents

interpreting graphs

anatomy of graphs charts

job enquiries

presenting mini project

use of graphs

common types of graphs

job interviews

distribution of data