The 200–300 character data-description task: a three-part answer template, must-know expressions like 증가하다 and 차지하다, and the mistakes that cost points.
What Is Question 53?
Question 53 in the TOPIK II writing section asks you to describe the information in a graph, table, or diagram in 200–300 characters. It is not creative writing — it is a factual report that converts the given data into accurate written Korean. Because of that, mastering a fixed template and a set of expressions lets you earn stable points in very little time.
The Three-Part Answer Template
Structure your answer in three parts and it will hold up no matter what topic the data covers.
Introduction — who surveyed whom
- OO(organization)에서 OO(target group)을 대상으로 OO에 대해 조사하였다.
- e.g. ○○연구소에서 20대 성인 남녀를 대상으로 독서 실태에 대해 조사하였다. (The ○○ Institute surveyed adults in their twenties about their reading habits.)
Body — describe the numbers and changes
- 조사 결과 ~이/가 ~%로 가장 높게 나타났다. (The survey found … was highest at …%.)
- ~은/는 2020년 ~에서 2025년 ~(으)로 꾸준히 증가하였다 / 감소하였다. (… steadily increased/decreased from … in 2020 to … in 2025.)
- ~이/가 전체의 ~%를 차지하였다. 반면 ~은/는 ~에 그쳤다. (… accounted for …% of the total, while … remained at only ….)
Closing — summary or outlook
- 이러한 결과를 통해 ~다는 것을 알 수 있다. (These results show that ….)
- 앞으로도 ~이/가 계속될 것으로 전망된다. (… is expected to continue.)
Essential Expressions
| Function | Expression |
|---|---|
| Citing the source | ~에 따르면 (according to …) / ~을/를 대상으로 조사한 결과 |
| Increase | 증가하다 / 늘어나다 / 급증하다 (to surge) / 꾸준히 증가하다 (to increase steadily) |
| Decrease | 감소하다 / 줄어들다 / 급감하다 (to plunge) / 크게 감소하다 |
| Proportion | ~%를 차지하다 (to account for …%) / ~에 이르다 / ~에 그치다 |
| Contrast | 반면(에) (on the other hand) / 이에 비해 / ~와/과 달리 |
| Reporting results | ~(으)로 나타났다 / ~(으)로 조사되었다 (was found to be …) |
| Outlook | ~ㄹ 것으로 전망된다 / ~ㄹ 것으로 보인다 (is expected to …) |
Point Deductions to Avoid
- No spoken style: use the written '-ㄴ다/-는다' ending, never '-어요/-습니다' (증가했어요 ✗ → 증가하였다 ○)
- Stay within 200–300 characters — going under or over costs points
- Do not invent information that is not in the data — use only what is given
- Avoid personal expressions or opinions such as 나 (I) or 우리 (we)
- Follow the answer-sheet (manuscript grid) rules for spacing and paragraphs
How to Practice
Once you have memorized the template, the next step is repetition with feedback. Write about many different graphs and tables using the same structure, and always have your answers corrected — style and expression errors are very hard to spot on your own.
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