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Using illustrations in academic communication Academic Communication for Advanced Secondary Schools

Exercise 6�1

1. Identify different illustrations found in different textbooks you are reading.
2. Which ones are simple and which ones are complex illustrations?
3. What are the different uses of those illustrations?

FOR ONLINE READING ONLY
Activity 6�1

Use online/offline sources to identify two simple illustrations and two complex
illustrations used in academic documents. Pay attention to the level of their details
and complexity and consider the purpose of each documents and how the illustrations
support them.

Interpreting illustrations

The interpretation of illustrations is a process in which data are recognised and scrutinised
for their meaning. A good way to realise the key points of the illustration is to describe
the idea of the illustration clearly. You should also attempt to relate the main ideas of
the illustration with the results of an experiment or research. Most questions based on
an illustration will require differentiation of what is in the illustration’s idea compared
to actual data. To interpret illustrations effectively, consider the following basic steps:

(a) Analysing key elements
Analyse the illustrations used in a document regarding the message the author intends
to communicate. An illustration can make an abstract idea more concrete, easier
to imagine, and closer to both the writer and the reader. Likewise, you can simply
explain an unclear or complicated phenomenon using an illustration. It makes the
simplified image closer to the original and easier to understand. At its simplest level,
an illustration can substitute for verbal and written explanations by communicating
the same message but in a different form. The key elements to be analysed include
the shape, colour, proportion, space, pattern, percentage, texture and the message the
writer delivers. The artist’s skill greatly influences the effectiveness of an illustration
in communication. However, an appropriate interpretation of what an illustration
adds to the communication increases the value of that illustration.
(b) Understanding the message
The interpretation of the illustrations normally focuses on the message we get. The
message must not be specific to the text but must be understood universally. The
relationship between an illustration’s message and the text usually differs with each
type of illustration. Interpreting the message of the illustration without the text first
is an essential step as it will help to see how the illustration relates to the text. It
allows critical evaluation of the illustration without getting any clue from the text
or a story. This will make the reader think critically about the story or the text.

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Student’s Book Form Five

30-Jun-24 11:02:07 AM
Academic Communication.indd 63
Academic Communication.indd 63 30-Jun-24 11:02:07 AM