United States
Hong KongFTCE Graphics and Data in a Passage
Skill 1 of Competency 3 is "Evaluate and relate content presented in diverse formats".
- That is the rule's phrase for a table, chart or diagram sitting beside a passage.
- The item asks you to relate the two, and the usual answer turns on whether the text's claim matches the graphic.
On this page8 sections
The word relate is the instruction. You are not reading a chart in isolation and you are not reading the passage in isolation. You are checking whether they agree.
Four checks, in order
- Read the title, the axis labels and the units before anything else
- Read the passage's claim about the data
- Find the specific value or trend the claim refers to
- Ask whether the graphic supports the claim, part of it, or something narrower
Step one is where marks are lost. A chart with a truncated axis, a percentage where you expected a count, or a unit in thousands will produce a confident wrong answer in about four seconds.
The three ways a claim and a graphic can part company
| Mismatch | What it looks like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | The claim is broader than the data | Text says districts; chart shows one district |
| Direction | The claim reverses or overstates the trend | Text says rose sharply; chart shows a slight rise |
| Measure | The claim uses a different quantity | Text says more students; chart shows a percentage |
The measure mismatch is the subtle one. A rising percentage with a falling total is entirely possible, and a passage claiming growth on the strength of a percentage chart may be reporting share rather than number.
A table shows a district's enrollment in four schools, and the passage states that the district grew. Which additional piece of information would most affect whether that claim holds?
- The names of the four schools
- Whether the district had more than four schools in the period covered
- The date the table was compiled
- The size of the largest school
The overlap with Mathematics
Competency 4 of the Mathematics subtest covers data interpretation, including two skills specifically about how the presentation of data can lead to different or inappropriate interpretations. That is nearly the same intellectual move as skill 1 here.
They are separate subtests, registered and passed separately at USD 32.50 each, with different clocks and different cuts. The material overlaps and the papers do not. Reading tables, charts and graphs covers the mathematics version, which is more computational.
The reading version does not want arithmetic
On the Reading subtest, a graphic item is a comprehension question with a chart attached. If you find yourself doing multi-step arithmetic, you have probably taken a wrong turn: the answer is usually about whether the claim matches, not about a computed value.
There is no calculator on this subtest either. The Test Structure document lists an on-screen calculator and a mathematics reference sheet for Mathematics only, so a Reading item that needed real computation would be badly designed.
Time
Graphics items feel slow and are usually fast once you have read the labels. On a subtest running at 1.83 minutes a question on our division of the published figures, spend twenty seconds on the labels and you will save more than that on every question attached to the same graphic.
Read the graphic before accepting a claim
Start with the title, axes, units, legend, and source. A graph may show people, events, percentages, rates, or index values, and each supports a different kind of statement. Check the time period and population: a chart of one district in one year does not directly establish a national trend. Read footnotes and labels before interpreting the visual pattern.
A bar chart compares categories; a line graph often shows change over ordered time; a scatterplot displays paired numerical values. The graph type is a clue, not a guarantee of purpose. A line connecting yearly values does not prove a continuous change between measurements. A bar showing 40% and another showing 50% represents a 10-percentage-point difference, which is a 25% increase relative to 40%.
Compare scale, denominator, and uncertainty
Check whether an axis begins at zero. A truncated vertical scale can make modest differences look large, although a nonzero baseline may be appropriate for some measurements if it is clearly shown. Compare the intervals and units, not the visual height alone. Also distinguish counts from rates: a larger population can produce more events even when its rate is lower.
If the passage reports uncertainty, sample size, or a margin of error, carry that information into the interpretation. Two values that look different may not be meaningfully distinguishable given measurement uncertainty. If the graphic omits a denominator, avoid turning counts into population-wide rates. Do not infer what the graph does not label.
Synthesize the visual and written evidence
When a passage and graphic appear together, identify what each contributes. The passage may explain how data were gathered or offer a causal interpretation; the graphic may show the measured pattern. Check whether they cover the same group, time, and outcome. A trend in the graph can support a textual claim, qualify it with an exception, or conflict with it.
For instance, a passage may argue that a training program improved outcomes, while the graph shows scores rising before the program began. That pattern weakens a simple causal explanation because another trend was already underway. State what the data show and what remains uncertain. A visual association alone does not establish cause.
- Read the title, axes, units, legend, source, and footnotes.
- Check scale, time period, population, and denominator.
- Distinguish percentage-point change from percent change.
- Compare the graphic with the passage on the same outcome and population.
- Describe measured patterns without adding an unsupported causal claim.
Common questions
Are there charts on the FTCE Reading subtest?
The rule provides for them. Skill 1 of Competency 3 covers evaluating and relating content presented in diverse formats, which is the state’s phrase for material that is not continuous prose, such as a table or chart set beside a passage.
What should I read first on a graphic?
The title, the axis labels and the units, before you look at any value. A truncated axis, a percentage where you expected a count, or a scale in thousands will otherwise produce a confident wrong answer within seconds.
Is there a calculator on the Reading subtest?
No. The Test Structure document lists an on-screen calculator and a mathematics reference sheet for the Mathematics subtest only. A Reading item that required real computation would be outside the design, so if you are doing arithmetic, check the question again.
How can a passage and a chart disagree?
Three ways: scope, where the claim is broader than the data; direction, where the claim overstates or reverses a trend; and measure, where the text talks about numbers and the chart shows percentages. Measure mismatches are the hardest to spot.