雅思英語小作文的備考，無論圖表如何變換，均可以從如下4個方面展開：
- 數據（Data）：包含時間、數字、百分比等。
- 比較（Comparison & contrast）：對不同對象或不同數據進行不同點或相似點比較分析。
- 趨勢（Trend）：描述一定時期內的趨勢。
- 結構（Structure）：如何用合理的篇章結構對文章內容進行組織。
可以說，任何一篇理想的雅思英語小作文，都繞不開這4個方面。
我們以如下滿分考官例文為例，說明雅思英語小作文時如何圍繞數據、比較、趨勢和結構展開的。
The table below shows the amount of waste production (in millions of tonnes) in six different countries over a twenty-year period.
The chart compares the amounts of waste that were produced in six countries in the years 1980, 1990 and 2000.
In each of these years, the US produced more waste than Ireland, Japan, Korea, Poland and Portugal combined. It is also noticeable that Korea was the only country that managed to reduce its waste output by the year 2000.
Between 1980 and 2000, waste production in the US rose from 131 to 192 million tonnes, and rising trends were also seen in Japan, Poland and Portugal. Japan’s waste output increased from 28 to 53 million tonnes, while Poland and Portugal saw waste totals increase from 4 to 6.6 and from 2 to 5 million tonnes respectively.
The trends for Ireland and Korea were noticeably different from those described above. In Ireland, waste production increased more than eightfold, from only 0.6 million tonnes in 1980 to 5 million tonnes in 2000. Korea, by contrast, cut its waste output by 12 million tonnes between 1990 and 2000.
數據Data
在範文中，數據的類型主要有：（1）年份；（2）描述噸數的數字。與這2類數據有關的短語主要有：
- in the years 1980, 1990 and 2000
- In each of these years
- by the year 2000
- Between 1980 and 2000
- from 131 to 192 million tonnes
- from 28 to 53 million tonnes
- from 4 to 6.6 and from 2 to 5 million tonnes respectively
- from only 0.6 million tonnes in 1980 to 5 million tonnes in 2000
- cut its waste output by 12 million tonnes between 1990 and 2000
比較Comparison & contrast
比較是每一篇雅思英語小作文的標配。沒有比較的作文，一定無法獲得理想的分數。比較可以是不同對象之間的比較，也可以是同一對象不同時期數據的比較。比較還包含不同點和相同點的比較。上述範文包含的比較主要有：
- The chart compares the amounts of waste
- the US produced more waste than Ireland.....
- waste production in the US......, and rising trends were also seen in Japan...（相似點比較）
- Japan’s ......, while Poland and Portugal ......
- The trends for Ireland and Korea were noticeably different from....
- In Ireland, ....... Korea, by contrast, cut its waste output....
可以看出，上述範文中用了6種比較工具。不同的比較工具，意味著不同的句型。
趨勢Trend
只要在圖表中存在隨著時間變化而變化的數據，就一定存在趨勢。而對趨勢的描述，主要說明數據是增加、減少、波動還是不變，以及何時達到極值等。範文中描述趨勢的句子主要有：
- reduce its waste output by the year 2000
- rose from 131 to 192 million tonnes
- rising trends were also seen in Japan
- increased from 28 to 53 million tonnes
- saw waste totals increase from 4 to 6.6 and from 2 to 5 million tonnes respectively
- The trends for Ireland and Korea
- increased more than eightfold, from only 0.6 million tonnes in 1980 to 5 million tonnes in 2000
- cut its waste output by 12 million tonnes between 1990 and 2000
採取不同的方式描述趨勢，是增加詞彙量，豐富句型的關鍵。
結構Structure
上述範圍主要通過從抽象到具體的方式，將數據、比較和趨勢邏輯地組合在一起。具體結構如下：
- 第一段 - Introduction：改寫題干
- 第二段 - Overview：總括段，對圖標的總體特徵進行概述
- 第三段和第四段 - Details：將所有數據分為2類（第一類：US、Japan, Poland、Portugal； 第二類： Ireland and Korea），然後用2段話分別對對應的細節進行描述。
合理的結構分布，意味著句子與句子之間，段落與段落之間的合理邏輯。這也就是雅思英語小作文評分標準中所說的Coherence and Cohesion
上述分析告訴我們，在備考雅思英語小作文時，不要一味的背誦範圍，而應該從數據、比較、趨勢和結構等4個方面對範文進行分析，從而吃透範文。
在後面的文章中，張老師將從數據、比較、趨勢和結構等4個方面，為大家詳細提供更多小作文寫作技巧和方法。