Describe Image(DI)
THE biggest Speaking task — 31% of your Speaking score, and human raters now check content.
The Format
- Image
- Bar/line/pie chart, table, map, process or photo
- Prep
- 25 seconds — title, axes, high, low, one trend
- Speak
- 40s window — aim to finish cleanly at ~30–35s
The Scoring
Intro · Features · Conclusion
Title, axis labels, the highest value, the lowest, and one trend or contrast — from different parts of the image.
"The given chart presents information about [topic]… It is evident that [highest]. Moreover, [contrast]. Overall, [summary]." Adapt wording per image — human raters penalize recited scripts.
A clean conclusion at 30–35 seconds beats being chopped mid-sentence at 40.
The 7 Data-Graph Takeaways
The Three Image Types
Every Describe Image question falls into one of three categories. The sentence structures below are built for data graphs — the most common type.
Bar, line and pie charts, tables — anything with numbers. The most common type, and where the templates below apply.
Processes and cycles — describe the steps in order.
Photos and maps — say what it shows, where things are, and the most noticeable features.
Answer Framework: Start → Body → Closing
One shape for every data graph. Three parts, about seven sentences, done by ~35 seconds.
During speech
- 1.Start line: clearly state the topic at the beginning.1 sentence
- 2.Main body: explain the picture information in the middle.4–5 sentences
- 3.Closing: summarize and explain the overall situation at the end.1 sentence
Start Line — Define the Topic
Clearly define the topic in a single sentence:
- This chart presents information about … (topic)
- The graph illustrates … (topic)
- The image gives details of … (topic)
Example: “This chart presents information about average weekly working hours in Japan.”
Main Body — Describe the Data
Mix three moves: describe single data points, compare two values, and give the maximum/minimum.
Read one value off the graph:
- According to the chart, the figure for … in … stands at …
- The chart indicates that … reached … in …
- The value recorded for … in … sits at roughly …
Example: “According to the chart, the figure for Japan in 2000 stands at 43 hours.”
Put two values side by side:
- Compared with …, the figure for … is noticeably higher/lower, at …
- While … records …, … only reaches …
- … clearly outpaces …, with … against …
Example: “Compared with Japan, the OECD average is noticeably lower, at around 38 hours.”
Name the highest and lowest points:
- … peaks at … in …
- … reaches its highest point of … in …
- … falls to its lowest level, …, in …
- The weakest figure for … appears in …, at just …
Example: “Japan’s figure peaks at 44 hours in 2003, while the OECD average falls to its lowest level, 36 hours, in 2009.”
Closing — Wrap the Answer
Summarize the trend, compare the sizes — or at least clarify the topic again.
Best closing when there is a clear direction:
- Overall, the figures move steadily upward/downward across the period.
- In short, the chart records a clear rise/fall in …
- Across the period, the values range between … and …
Example: “Across the period, the values range between 36 and 44 hours.”
When two series differ clearly:
- Overall, … consistently records the higher figures.
- The data clearly shows that … accounts for the larger share.
- In short, … stays ahead of … throughout.
The safe fallback — restate the topic:
- In summary, this chart gives a detailed picture of …
- In conclusion, the graph documents …
- Overall, the image captures …
Example: “In summary, this chart gives a detailed picture of average weekly working hours in Japan.”
These score nothing and waste seconds:
- “What a nice chart.”
- “This picture shows many things.”
Complete Example — Working Hours Graph
Imagine a line graph comparing average weekly working hours in Japan with the OECD average, 2000–2010. The full answer, one template move per sentence:
Six sentences, ~35 seconds
- 1.This chart presents information about average weekly working hours in Japan compared with the OECD average.start line
- 2.According to the chart, the figure for Japan in 2000 stands at 43 hours.describe data
- 3.Compared with Japan, the OECD average is noticeably lower, at around 38 hours.compare
- 4.Japan’s figure peaks at 44 hours in 2003.maximum
- 5.The OECD average falls to its lowest level, 36 hours, in 2009.minimum
- 6.Overall, working hours decline gradually in both groups across the decade.closing — trend
Saying Years and Numbers
Numbers you cannot say smoothly become fluency killers — drill these patterns.
Years are read in pairs, not digit by digit:
- 2000 → “two thousand”
- Years ending in 00: 1800 → “eighteen hundred”
- Four-digit years: 1840 → “eighteen forty”
- Three-digit years: 423 → “four twenty-three”
The four shapes that appear on data graphs:
- Integers: 123 → “one hundred (and) twenty-three”
- Decimals: 3.14 → “three point one four”
- Fractions: 1/3 → “one-third” · 2/5 → “two-fifths”
- Percentages: 50% → “fifty percent”
The 4 Traps That Cost You the Task
Human experts check content since late 2024 — 'we can see many things' with zero image data scores near zero.
Data + direction ('rose sharply') is what scores.
Describe, don't editorialize.
Keep talking — connectors buy thinking time.
Daily Drills
- →3 images daily: 25s prep out loud, 40s description, self-review the recording.
- →Build one flexible frame per image type: chart, map, process, photo.