IB English A Lang & Lit How to Write About Infographics Notes

Writing About Infographics: A Framework

1. Analysing an infographic means moving beyond what it presents to how it presents it and why those choices were made.
2. Every analytical point should follow the device-effect-purpose chain: name the device, explain its effect on the reader, then link that to the creator's purpose.
3. This framework prevents you from listing visual features and pushes you into genuine analysis that earns marks at IB level.

Step 1: Identify Source, Purpose, and Data

1. Name who produced the infographic: an NGO, a government body, a news outlet, or a commercial organisation all have different vested interests.
2. Identify what data it presents and, crucially, what specific argument the data is being used to make.
3. Be specific about purpose: not "to inform about climate change" but "to argue that carbon emissions from transport are the most urgent target for policy intervention."
4. A precise opening statement anchors every subsequent analytical point to the infographic's central argument rather than its topic.

Step 2: Analyse Visual Choices

1. Every visual element is a rhetorical choice: the visual form is not a neutral container for data but actively shapes how data is understood.
2. Ask: why this chart type? Why these colours? Why this scale? Why are certain data points highlighted above others?
3. Visual hierarchy reveals the creator's priorities: what is largest, boldest, or most brightly coloured is what the designer most wants the reader to notice first.
4. Analyse colour contrast and font weight as deliberate signals about what the creator ranks as most important within the argument.

Step 3: Examine Selection and Omission

1. The infographic's argument is made as much by what it excludes as by what it includes.
2. Ask: what time period is shown, what comparisons are drawn, and what data that would complicate the argument has been left out.
3. Selective framing directs the reader toward a conclusion the creator has already chosen before a single statistic is presented.
4. Noting what is absent is one of the highest-level moves in IB English analysis and distinguishes a strong response from a descriptive one.

Step 4: Evaluate Credibility and Effect

1. Consider the infographic's overall persuasive effect: does it present data fairly, or does it manipulate visual scale to exaggerate a trend?
2. Assess whether sources are cited and whether the source attribution at the bottom functions to establish credibility with the intended audience.
3. The strongest analysis recognises that "objective" data presentation is always mediated by design choices that carry ideological weight.
4. Consider whether simplified icons or oversimplified visuals serve the creator's purpose or risk misleading a general audience.

Useful Phrases for Infographic Analysis

1. "The use of [device] creates a sense of..."
2. "By presenting [data] as a [chart type], the creator implies..."
3. "The prominent placement of [statistic] anchors the reader's attention on..."
4. "The colour contrast between [X] and [Y] signals to the reader that..."
5. "The simplified icons suggest the audience is a general rather than specialist readership."
6. "The infographic constructs an apparently objective presentation that is shaped by [visual choice], ultimately [supporting/undermining/complicating] the claim that [X]."