If you are preparing to take the DELE B2, DELE C1 or DELE C2 exam, it is important to know that in some of your tasks you will have to comment on graphics and statistics in Spanish, usually taken from some media.
I will teach you useful vocabulary that will help you to respond to the written task and to be able to comment on the graphics in Spanish like an expert.
Let's see how to do this through some news clippings taken from the newspaper El País:
First of all, when you find a news item, you must interpret what it says, and then you can analyze its information correctly and comment on it.
In turn, it is important that you pay attention to the percentages and the words that were used to compose the news.
When analyzing this first cutback, we found the verb “recover” (synonym of “overcome”), which indicates that it has grown and improved after having lower levels, that is, that it has risen after a previous lower point. You can use these same or other verbs to comment on the statistic.
Also note that this recovery has been 98%, that is, almost total. When referring to the percentages, consider that they are said in singular masculine, they carry an article forward and should be treated like any other noun: “98%” (masculine) or “16.4%” (indefinite). Mentioning them without an article is a mistake.
Under the headline it says that “prices skyrocketed”, implying that they have increased rapidly and considerably. It is important that you mention in each case if you are referring to a very sharp rise, a fall or a slowdown in the trend or the topic raised.
Also pay attention to the use of connectors such as “with respect to...” or “with respect to...”, as these will help you analyze or compare what the situation is like from one moment to another.
Let's move on to another headline to continue learning specific vocabulary:
The expression “gaining momentum” indicates that something (tourism) has been able to advance, that is, it is starting to rise, to grow.
The news allows us to compare what the situation is like from one time to another, in this case, it would be between before the pandemic and today. In that sense, you can notice here that the percentage is low, “only 8%”.
Notice that connectors such as “below...” are used, something that will also allow you to compare between one time and another. The opposite expression would be “above...”, if the trend had been increasing.
The word “equalize” is mentioned here, which means to be at the same level or at the same height. This word will help you when you want to refer to a statistic that just matches the previous one.
The headline also includes the verb “upar”, which means that something goes up, as expressed in the phrase: “Cheer up”.
Let's look at a third example:
“To stand at (percentage)” means to be in that percentage, and you can also observe that within the specific vocabulary for analyzing a statistic it is important to indicate the highest or the lowest figure, or from a certain year.
This example also mentions “an increase”, that is, a rise.
It is important that you can comment on what the trend is: if it has grown, if it has equalized, if it is recovering, if it has decreased or if it has fallen directly.
Let's look at a fourth example:
This article uses the verb “install”, which when used in this way implies that it is here to stay.
Second, mention the articles that “lead the way up”, because the term “lead” implies “being in the lead”, that is, above, at the top. In this example, they would be the products that have increased the most. On the contrary, if they were the ones that had increased the least, it would be “to be on the tail of”, another useful expression for commenting on information.
Fifth and final example:
The expression “continue at highs” means that the trend is very upward, but if there is a “cooling sign” this implies that it could start to go down or to “retreat”.
In turn, it indicates that “growth weakens”, that is, it becomes weaker, lower.
Keep in mind that the article also makes a comparison and takes as a parameter or starting point, the last 17 months.
All this interpretation of the information in a headline is what you must follow in order to be able to comment on graphics and statistics in the DELE exams. Pay special attention to the percentages, connectors and comparisons that the news contains to be able to analyze and comment on the graphics in Spanish like a true native.
By the way, if you need to prepare yourself better to master Spanish and learn to skilfully comment on graphics and statistics, I recommend that you sign up for my online courses, where you will find the exact content to gain the confidence you need. Sign up for the course: https://aporeldele.com/cursos
