mâu writing task 1 ielts

The chart and graph below give information about sales and share prices for Coca-Cola. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. • You should write at least 150 words. • You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. model answer: The pie chart shows the worldwide distribution of sales of Coca-Cola in the year 2000 and the graph shows the change in share prices between 1996 and 2001. In the year 2000, Coca-Cola sold a total of 17.1 billion cases of their fizzy drink product worldwide. The largest consumer was North America, where 30.4 per cent of the total volume was purchased. The second largest consumer was Latin America. Europe and Asia purchased 20.5 and 16.4 per cent of the total volume respectively, while Africa and the Middle East remained fairly small consumers at 7 per cent of the total volume of sales. Since 1996, share prices for Coca-Cola have fluctuated. In that year, shares were valued at approximately $35. Between 1996 and 1997, however, prices rose significantly to $70 per share. They dipped a little in mid-1997 and then peaked at $80 per share in mid-98. From then until 2000 their value fell consistently but there was a slight rise in mid-2000. The chart below gives information about global sales of games software, CDs and DVD or video. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information. model answer: The chart shows the changes in the sales of video material / DVDs, games software and CDs around the world in billions of dollars over a three-year period. It can be seen that the sales of videos / DVDs and games software have increased, while the sales of CDs have gone down slightly. Between 2000 and 2003, the sale of videos and DVDs rose by approximately 13 billion dollars. In 2000, just under 20 billion dollars worth of these items were sold, but in 2003, this figure had risen to a little over 30 billion dollars. The sales of games software also rose during this period, but less sharply. Sales increased from about 13 billion dollars in 2000 to just under 20 billion dollars three years later. By contrast, during the same time period, the sale of CDs fell from 35 billion dollars in 2000 to about 32.5 billion dollars in 2003. model answer: The three graphs provide an overview of the types of music people purchase in the UK. At first glance we see that classical music is far less popular than pop or rock music. While slightly more women than men buy pop music, the rock market is dominated by men with 30% buying rock, compared to 17% of women. From the first graph we see that interest in pop music is steady from age 16 to 44 with 20% of the population continuing to buy pop CDs after the age of 45. The interest in rock music reaches its peak among the 25 to 34 year olds, though it never sells as well as pop. Interest also drops off after the age of 35 with an even sharper fall from age 45 onwards, a pattern which is the opposite to the classical music graph. The graphs below show the numbers of male and female workers in 1975 and 1995 in several employment sectors of the republic of Freedonia. Write a report for a university teacher describing the information shown. model answer: The two decades between 1975 and 1995 brought significant changes in the representation of women in Freedonia's work force, according to the graphs. In 1975, for example, some 300 000 men and 250 000 women worked in the communications sector. Twenty years later, though the number of men remained unchanged, the number of women rose to 550 000. A similar situation was seen in the wholesale and retail trade sector, where the number of women rose from about 550 000 in 1975 to almost 800 000 two decades later. The number of men in this sector remained stable over the period, at around 700 000. Women also made gains in both the finance/banking industries and in the defence-related public sector. Whereas some 125 000 women worked in finance and banking institutions in 1975, the number increased to 450 000 by 1995. The number of men grew only marginally from 425 000 to 480 000 over the same period. In defence, the number of men declined from 225 000 to 200 000, while the number of women rose from 25 000 to over 100 000. Two sectors that retained stable employment numbers for both men and women were manufacturing, which had about 300 000 women and 650 000 men in both surveyed years, and the public sector (nondefence), which employed 650 000 women and 850 000 men. Thus, women appear to have made gains in the Freedonian work force but not at the expense of men. Eating sweet foods produces acid in the mouth, which can cause tooth decay. (High acid levels are measured by low pH values) Describe the information below and discuss the implications for dental health. model answer: Anyone who has visited a dentist has been told that eating excessive amounts of sweets risks harming the teeth. This is because sweets lower pH levels in the mouth to dangerous levels. When the pH level in the mouth is kept above 5.5, acidity is such that teeth are unlikely to be in danger of decay. Sweet foods, however, cause pH in the mouth to drop for a time, and the longer pH levels remain below 5.5, the greater the opportunity for decay to occur. By comparing fruit sugar, cane sugar and honey, which are all common ingredients of sweet foods, we find that cane sugar lowers pH levels for the longest period, thus producing the greatest risk of the three. Approximately five minutes aftfter consuming cane sugar, pH levels drop to as little as pH 3.5. They then begin to rise slowly, but do not rise above pH 5.5 until at least 30 minutes have elapsed. By contrast, fruit sugar, which causes the mouth's acidity to fall to just above pH 4, poses a danger for a shorter period: tooth decay is unlikely 20 minutes after consumption. Honey appears an even less risky substance. Though acidity falls to about pH 4.75 within five minutes of consumption, it returns to above pH 5.5 in under fifteen minutes. The implications, then, are that people who insist on eating sweet foods should be aware of the ingredients, and that fruit sugar or honey appear preferable to cane sugar. The diagram below shows the typical stages of consumer goods manufacturing, including the process by which information is fed back to earlier stages to enable adjustment. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the process shown. model answer: Most consumer goods go through a series of stages before they emerge as finished products ready for sale. Raw materials and manufactured components comprise the initial physical input in the manufacturing process. Once obtained, these are stored for later assembly. But assembly first depends upon the production planning stage, where it is decided how and in what quantities the stored materials will be processed to create sufficient quantities of finished goods. The production planning stage itself follows the requirements of the goods' design stage that proceeds from extensive research. After assembly, the products are inspected and tested to maintain quality control l Those units that pass the inspection and testing stages are then packaged, despatched and offered for sale in retail outlets. The level of sales, which is the end point of the manufacturing process, helps determine production planning. A product's design is not only the result of product research, but is also influenced by testing and market research. If the testing stage (after assembly and inspection) reveals unacceptable problems in the finished product, then adjustments will have to be made to the product's design. Similarly, market research, which examines the extent and nature of the demand for products, has the role of guiding product design to suit consumer demands which may change with time. Market research, while influenced by product sales, also serves to foster future sales by devising suitable advertising for the goods. Thus the reality of consumer goods manufacturing goes well beyond a simple linear production process. The table below shows social and economic indicators for four countries in 1994, according to United Nations statistics. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. Indicators Annual income per person (in $US) Life expectancy at birth Canada Japan Peru Zaire 11100 15760 160 130 76 78 51 47 Daily calorie supply per person Adult literacy rate (%) 3326 2846 1927 1749 99 99 68 34 Model answer A glance at four indicators of economic and social conditions in four countries, Canada, Japan, Peru and Zaire, in 1994 reflects the great differences that exist between wealthier and poorer nations. The table shows that Japan and Canada had annual incomes of $15 760 and $11 100 per person, respectively. These figures were overwhelmingly greater than the corresponding figures of $160 in Peru and $130 in Zaire. Health indicators, too, reflected overall levels of affluence in the four nations. Life expectancy at birth, for example, was higher among the more economically developed countries. Japan reported the highest life expectancy, 78. This was followed by Canada, 76; Peru, 51; and Zaire, 47. This suggests that richer societies are able to put more money into health care than poorer ones. The amount of calories consumed daily per person roughly followed the same ranking. Canadians each consumed some 3 326 calories per day while the Japanese took 2846 calories. The corresponding figures for Peru and Zaire were 1927 and 1749, respectively. Literacy rates among adults, too, were higher in wealthier countries, no doubt a reflection of ability to invest in education. Canada and Japan both reported literacy rates of 99%, while Peru claimed 68%. Zaire, the least economically developed of the four countries, had a literacy rate of 34%. The data appear to confirm the often cited link between national wealth and health and education standards. IELTS Tip Make sure you understand the following in a table: 1) the main heading/title of the table 2) the column heading/categories and exactly what these show Look for the most important information in the table by comparing categories and groups. Notice any similarities, any differences, any obvious changes and/or trends. The diagram below shows the average hours of unpaid work per week done by people in different categories. (Unpaid work refers to such activities as childcare in the home, housework and gardening.) Describe the information presented below, comparing results for men and women in the categories shown. Suggest reasons for what you see. model answer: The diagram reveals that the number of hours per week spent in unpaid work is unequally distributed between men and women. In households where there are no children, women are reported to work some 30 hours per week in such tasks as housework and gardening. Men's contribution to these unpaid jobs averages a considerably lower 18 hours. When children enter the household, however, the inequality becomes even more pronounced. In families of 1 - 2 children, men maintain approximately the same number of hours of unpaid work as in childless households, but the number of hours women work in the home rises to 52 per week, much of it, on doubt, due to childcare responsibilities. Interestingly, when there are three or more children in the household, men are found to work even fewer hours around the house than before the appearance of the third child. Whereas women's unpaid hours rise to approximately 56 per week, the corresponding figure for men, 16, actually represents a decrease. The data suggest that the increased presence of women in the paid work force has yet to lead to an increased role for men in the home. The chart below shows the sleep patterns of people in five different occupations according to a Canadian study. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer Differences in sleep patterns appear to reflect differences in individuals' occupations. A Canadian study has pointed out, for example, that students typically sleep for a consecutive 8-hour period each night, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. This may be because the central activity in their lives, study, takes place in normal daylight hours. Similarly, business executives sleep consecutive hours, but perhaps because their jobs are especially busy and stressful they sleep for 6 hours on average, getting up around 5 a.m. By contrast, truck drivers, probably because of their need to keep their trucks on the road over long periods, tend to sleep in two 3-hour blocks: one between 7 and 10 a.m. and another from 4 to 7 p.m. Another occupation associated with broken sleep schedules is that of doctors. They tend to retire to bed around 1 a.m. and start their day at 7 a.m., but may be woken up to deal with emergencies in the middle of the night. Finally, full-time mothers, especially those with young children, tend to sleep when their babies do. Typically, they will sleep from 10 p.m. and be awoken at 1 a.m. to comfort their babies for a couple of hours. They then go back to bed to wake at 6 a.m., but nap for two hours or so in the early afternoon. Thus the influence on one's sleep pattern is worthy of consideration when choosing an occupation. The chart below shows the amount of leisure time enjoyed by men and women of different employment status. model answer: The chart shows the number of hours of leisure enjoyed by men and women in a typical week in 19989, according to gender and employment status. Among those employed full-time, men on average had fifty hours of leisure, whereas women had approximately thirty-seven hours. There were no figures given for male part-time workers, but female part-timers had forty hours of leisure time, only slightly more than women in full-time employment, perhaps reflecting their work in the home. In the unemployed and retired categories, leisure time showed an increase for both sexes, as might have been expected. Here too, men enjoyed more leisure time over eighty hours, compared with seventy hours for women, perhaps once again reflecting the fact that women spend more time working in the home than men. Lastly, housewives enjoyed approximately fifty-four hours of leisure, on average. There were no figures given for househusbands! Overall, the chart demonstrates that in the categories for which statistics on male leisure time were available, men enjoyed at least ten hours of extra leisure time. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information in the graph below. model answer: The graph compares the rate of smoking in men and women in Someland between the years 1960 and 2000. It can be clearly seen that the rate of smoking for both men and women is currently declining and that fewer women have smoked throughout the period. In 1960, 600 men in every 1,000 was smoking. This number decreased gradually to 500 by 1974 and continued to decrease but more steeply to 250 in 2000. In contrast, the rate of smoking in women in 1960 was very low at only 80 in every 1,000. By 1968 this increased to 170, and increased again but more steeply to 320 in 1977. The rate of female smokers then remained stable at 320 until 1984 at which point the figures began to decline and had dropped to 200 by 2000. In conclusion we can see that the rate of smoking in men dropped throughout the whole period but was always at a higher level than the female figures. The rate of smoking in women increased until 1977 but then decreased for the rest of the period. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information in the graphs below. model answer: The graphs compare the number of deaths caused by six diseases in Someland in 1990 with the amount of research funding allocated to each of those diseases. It can be clearly seen that the amount of research funding in many cases did not correlate with the seriousness of the disease in terms of numbers of deaths. In 1990 there were around 0.2 million deaths from AIDS, 0.1 million deaths from leprosy, 0.3 million deaths from tropical diseases, 0.5 million deaths from diarrhoea, 0.4 million deaths from malaria and 1.8 million deaths from TB. These figures can be contrasted with the amount of funding allocated for each disease. In 1990 AIDS received 180 million dollars in research funding, leprosy 80 million dollars in research funding, tropical diseases 79 million dollars in research funding, diarrhoea 60 million dollars in research funding, malaria 50 million dollars and TB 20 million dollars in research funding. In conclusion it is clear that funding allocation for disease research in Someland is not wholly determined by the number of deaths for which each disease is responsible in a given year. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information in the two graphs below. model answer: The pie charts compare the highest level of education achieved by women in Someland across two years, 1945 and 1995. It can be clearly seen that women received a much higher level of education in Someland in 1995 than they did in 1945. In 1945 only 30% of women completed their secondary education and 1% went on to a first degree. No women had completed post-graduate studies. This situation had changed radically by 1995. In 1995, 90% of women in Someland had completed secondary education and of those, half had graduated from an initial degree and 20% had gone on to postgraduate studies. At the other end of the scale we can see that by 1995 all girls were completing lower secondary, although 10% ended their schooling at this point. This is in stark contrast with 1945 when only 30% of girls completed primary school, 35% had no schooling at all and 35% only completed the third grade. In conclusion, we can see that in the 50 years from 1945 to 1995 there have been huge positive developments to the education levels of women in Someland. The table below shows the hours of leisure time spent by people in different age groups in Someland. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The table shows how people in different age groups spend their leisure time in Someland over the course of a year. It can be clearly seen that the amount of leisure time available varies considerably across the age groups and that people of different age levels have very different ways of spending their leisure time. According to the figures, as people age in Someland their social lives reduce. Teenagers and people in their twenties spend on average 500 hours per year on socialising and 350 hours of that time is with a group of more than 4 people. Although the total hours of socialising in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s is fairly constant (between 300-350), socialising with more than 4 people drops dramatically to 50 hours in the 30s and 40s age groups and only 25 from 50 years old. Group and individual exercise follow a similar pattern. People of all ages spend a good part of their leisure time on entertainment such as TV/video viewing and cinema. In both cases, teenagers and retired people spend around twice as much time as those who are at working age. Home entertainment ranges from just over a thousand hours for teenagers and retired people and an average of 600 hours for everyone else. Cinema accounts for 100 hours of the teenagers and retired people’s leisure time and 25-50 hours for the rest. In conclusion we can see there is a significant trend towards solitary and smaller group activities as people grow older and that teenagers and retired people spend a lot more time on entertainment than those of working age do. model answer: The chart shows striking differences in the level of computer and Internet penetration in the Arab world. The UAE and Kuwait are by far the most computerized countries, with Lebanon a distant third. The UAE has over 150 computers for every 1000 inhabitants, compared to Kuwait's 130 and Lebanon's 60. In contrast, countries such as Egypt, Morocco and Syria have less than 20 computers per 1000 inhabitants. There are also great differences in Internet use and availability. The UAE has by far the highest proportion of users, with more than one-third of its population using the Internet. Kuwait and Lebanon are second and third again, with 100 users per thousand in Kuwait and 80 in Lebanon. In some countries the number using the Internet is negligible: Saudi Arabia has less than 20 users per thousand, and there are fewer than 5 users per thousand in Syria. One unusual feature of the graph is that Internet use does not seem to be directly related to the number of computers. In several countries (the UAE, Lebanon, Jordan and Oman), there are more Internet users per thousand people than computers. However, in other countries, such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Syria, the number of Internet users is lower than the number of computers. In summary, there are major differences between computer use and Internet use in the Arab world, but the UAE clearly leads the area in both number of computers and number of internet users per capita. The graph below shows the different modes of transport used to travel to and from work in one European city in 1960, 1980 and 2000. model answer: The graph shows the changing patterns in commuting by train, car, tube or bus for commuters in London in the years 1960, 1980 and 2000. The number of people using trains at first rose from just under 20% in 1960 to about 26% in 1980, but then fell back to about 23% in 2000. Use of the tube has been relatively stable, falling from around 27% of commuters in 1960 to 22% in 1980, but climbing back to reach 25% by 2000. On the other hand, the use of cars increased steadily from just over 5% in 1960 to 23% in 1980, reaching almost 40% by 2000, whereas the popularity of buses has declined since 1960, falling from just under 35% in 1960 to 27% in 1980 and only 15% in 2000. The graph indicates the growing use of cars for commuting to work between 1960 - 2000, and the corresponding decline in the popularity of buses from being the most popular mode of transport in 1960 to the least popular in 2000. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below. model answer: The graphs show health and education spending and changes in life expectancy and infant mortality in the UAE. Overall, as the percentage spent on health and education increases, infant mortality and life expectancy improve. Graph 1 shows the percentage of GDP spent on health and education between 1985 and 1993. There were big increases in both areas. Health spending stood at about 8% in 1985 but rose to 9% in 1990 and 10% in 1993. Spending on education was even higher. It was 10% in 1985, and shot up to 14% in 1990 and 15% in 1993, a 50% increase in just 8 years. Graph 2 shows improvements in life expectancy and infant mortality between 1970 and 1992. Life expectancy was just 60 in 1970 but rose to almost 72 in 1992. In contrast, the number of babies dying dropped dramatically, from 60 per 1000 in 1970 to only 22 in 1992. In conclusion, people in the UAE are living longer and healthier lives because of the government's spending on education and medical facilities. model answer: The graph shows weekly expenditure on fast food in Britain by food and income group. There are two main trends. First, the expenditure is directly related to income. Secondly, there are differences in the types of fast food eaten by each group. The amount of money spent on fast food is related to income. People in the high-income group spent the most - over 85 pence per person per week. People in the low-income group spent the least - less than half of what the high-income earners spent. The type of fast food eaten also depends on the group. High-income earners spent 3 times more on hamburgers than people in the low-income group. Pizza was generally the least favorite food. Fish and chips was the most popular food with the low-income group but consumption was fairly similar among all groups. The charts below show US spending patterns between 1966 and 1996. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below. Model answer The pie charts show changes in American spending patterns between 1966 and 1996. Food and cars made up the two biggest items of expenditure in both years. Together they comprised over half of household spending. Food accounted for 44% of spending in 1966, but this dropped by two thirds to 14% in 1996. However, the outlay on cars doubled, rising from 23% in 1966 to 45% in 1996. Other areas changed significantly. Spending on eating out doubled, climbing from 7% to 14%. The proportion of salary spent on computers increased dramatically, up from 1% in 1996 to 10% in 1996. However, as computer expenditure rose, the percentage of outlay on books plunged from 6% to 1%. Some areas remained relatively unchanged. Americans spent approximately the same amount of salary on petrol and furniture in both years. In conclusion, increased amounts spent on cars, computers, and eating out were made up for by drops in expenditure on food and books. Consumption of Fast Food in the UK Model answer 1 The graph shows changes in the amount of fast food consumed in the UK between 1970 and 1990. Several trends are apparent. First, Britons are eating more and more fast food. Secondly, the type of fast food has changed. In 1970, the most popular fast food was fish and chips. Over 300g were consumed each week. By 1990, however, this had fallen to just over 200g - a 50% drop. Consumption of other fast foods such as pizza and hamburgers increased, however. The amount of pizza eaten shot up from about 20g a week to more than 270g, overtaking fish and chips in the late 1980s. Hamburger consumption also increased, rising from about 80g in 1970 to almost 300g in 1990. Accompanying this change in the choice of foods was an increase in the amount of fast food consumed. In 1970, British consumers ate about 450g a week of fast food. In 1990, on the other hand, this had more than doubled, to 1000g. Model answer 2 The graph shows the amount of fast food eaten between 1970 and 1990 in grams per person per week. Overall, the amount of fast food eaten more than doubled. The amount of fish and chips eaten declined slightly. In 1970, the consumption was about 300g/week. This fell to 220g/week in 1990. In contrast, sales of hamburger and pizza rocketed. In 1970, very little pizza was eaten - less than 50g/week. This rose to 280g/week by 1990. In the same period, hamburger sales shot up by more than 500%, from 100g/week in 1970 to 500 grams in 1990. In conclusion, although there was a big increase in the consumption of pizza and hamburger, sales of fish and chips decreased. Write a report describing the information in the graph below. model answer: The chart shows striking changes in the fertility rate of women in six Gulf countries – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain between 1990 and 2000. In the ten year period, there was a decline in the number of births per woman in all countries. The biggest declines were in two countries which had low fertility rates at the start of the decade, Bahrain and the UAE. Fertility rates vary greatly between the six countries. Oman and Saudi Arabia had the highest rates, with over seven births per woman in 1990. This compared with around 4 births per woman in Bahrain and the UAE, and just 3.75 in Kuwait By 2000, the rate had fallen below three births per woman in Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE, with a drop of over 25% in a decade in the UAE. However, in Saudi Arabia and Oman, the rates fell by just 20%, from 7.0 to 5.5. In summary, there were major decreases in birth rates in all countries, but some countries in the region have double the fertility rate of others. Write a report describing the information in the graph below. model answer: The line graph shows estimated sales of gold in Dubai for 12 months in 2002 in millions of dirhams. There were two main seasons for gold sales. The main season for sales is in the December to May period. Sales were consistently above 200 million dirhams per month, rising sharply to a peak of 350 million dirhams in March. However, for the next four months, sales declined steadily, reaching an annual low of 120 million dirhams in July. In August, there was a sudden increase. Sales almost doubled, rising from 120 million dirhams in July to 210 million dirhams in August. This was followed by a drop in September, back to the July figure. From September to October, sales recovered, from 120 to 180 million. In October and November, sales remained steady, and there was a small increase in December to 190 million dirhams. In conclusion, the main sales period is in the early part of the year, slumping in the summer, except for a sudden increase in August. Write a report describing the information in the graph below. model answer: The chart shows that high income earners consumed considerably more fast foods than the other income groups, spending more than twice as much on hamburgers (43 pence per person per week) than on fish and chips or pizza (both under 20 pence). Average income earners also favoured hamburgers, spending 33 pence per person per week, followed by fish and chips at 24 pence, then pizza at 11 pence. Low income earners appear to spend less than other income groups on fast foods, though fish and chips remains their most popular fast food, followed by hamburgers and then pizza. From the graph we can see that in 1970, fish and chips were twice as popular as burgers, pizza being at that time the least popular fast food. The consumption of hamburgers and pizza has risen steadily over the 20 year period to 1990 while the consumption of fish and chips has been in decline over that same period with a slight increase in popularity since 1985. Write a report describing the information in the graph below. model answer: The first graph shows that there is a gradual decrease in study for career reasons with age. Nearly 80% of students under 26 years, study for their career. This percentage gradually declines by 10-20% every decade. Only 40% of 40-49yr olds and 18% of over 49yr olds studing for career reasons in late adulthood. Conversely, the first graph also shows that study stemming from interest increases with age. There are only 10% of under 26yr olds studing out of interest. The percentage increases slowly till the beginning of the fourth decade, and increases dramatically in late adulthood. Nearly same number of 40-49yr olds study for career and interest. However 70% of over 49yr olds study for interest in comparison to 18% studing for career reasons in that age group. The second graph shows that employer support is maximum (approximately 60%) for the under 26yr students. It drops rapidly to 32% up to the third decade of life, and then increses in late adulthood up to about 44%. It is unclear whether employer support is only for career-focused study, but the highest level is for those students who mainly study for career purposes. This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 8 score. Here is the examiner's comment: This answer summarises the key features of both charts and integrates them well. Clear trends are identified and supported with appropriately-selected figures. The answer could only be improved by adding an introduction to the general topic of the charts. The information is well organised, with a clearly-signalled progression. Linking words are used accurately and precisely, although there is occasional omission. Paragraphing is used well initially, but lapses in the later section. A very good range of vocabulary is used to convey the information concisely and accurately with only occasional inappropriacy. Words are used precisely and there are no errors in spelling or word form. A wide range of structures is used and most sentences in this answer are accurate. Errors are rare and do not affect communication in this answer. The graph below shows the population change between 1940 and 2000 in three different counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. IELTS Tip The structure of your answer would look like this: Introduction - Explain briefly in your own words what the information shows. Give more detail than the question and make comparisons where appropriate. • Main Body - Decide how to organise your paragraphs. For example, in the model answer below, paragraph 2 is about 1940-1970, paragraph 3 is about 1970-2000 for Columbia and Yamhill, and paragraph 4 is about 1970-2000 for Washington. Use words such as although andhowever to make contrasts, and words such as likewise to introduce similarities. Always include the actual data you have been given. The final paragraph is not a conclusion in this type of task. • Model answer The graph shows the increase in population of three counties, Columbia, Yamhill and Washington in the U.S. state of Oregon, between 1940 and 2000. In 1940, Columbia had the lowest population of the three counties, at around 25,000. This compared with about 30,000 in Yamhill and approximately 75,000 in Washington. By 1970, Columbia’s population had risen to just under 36,000. Although this appears on the graph to be a gentle increase, it is in fact an increase of approximately 50%. Yamhill’s population also rose by nearly 50% between 1940 and 1970: from 30,000 to just under 45,000. However, the greatest real increase was in Washington, where the population in 1970 had increased by approximately 75,000, to 125,000. The years 1970 to 2000 saw the populations of Columbia and Yamhill increase by approximately the same amounts that they had increased by the thirty years before. In 2000, Columbia’s population – at approximately 76,000 – was triple what it had been in 1940. Likewise, Yamhill’s population, at around 90,000, was almost triple what it was in 1940. Although Washington’s increase in population between 1940 and 1970 was large, its increase in the following thirty years was even sharper, rising from about 125,000 in 1970 to more than 240,000 in 2000. The graph below shows the amount of money spent on books in Germany, France, Italy and Austria between 1995 and 2005. IELTS Tip You will lose marks if you make grammatical errors in your writing, particularly when errors are frequent and effect meaning. Read the following sample answer. Complete the answer by filling the gaps with the words in the box. biggest sharp least dramatically much less more three times The line graph compares the amount of money spent on buying books in Germany, France, Italy and Austria over a period of ten years between 1995 and 2005. In 1995 Austria spent the least amount of money on books, while Italy and France spent about asmuch as each other. However, by 2001, the gap in spending between these two countries had widened and considerably more money was spent in France than In Italy. As can be seen from the graph, the amount of money spent increased in all four countries but rose the most dramatically in Austria. The period between 2000 and 2005 saw a sharp growth and in 2005 the Austrians spent three times as much money as they did in 1995. However, during this ten-year period, Germany remained the biggest spenders on book, with all three other countries spending much less on them. The three pie charts below show the changes in annual spending by local authorities in Someland in 1980, 1990 and 2000. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Expenditure by local authorities in Someland Model answer The charts show how much local authorities spent on a range of services in Someland in three separate years: 1980, 1990 and 2000. In all three years, the greatest expenditure was on education. But while K-12 education saw a fall from 25% in 1980 to only 18% of spending in 2000, higher education remained the largest proportion, reaching 45% of total spending in 1990 and ending at 40% in 2000. Expenditure on health and human resources had increased to 20% by 1990 before decreasing to only 10% by the end of the period. In contrast, the share of transportation saw an opposite trend. This cost decreased to only 6% of total expenditure in 1990 but rose dramatically in 2000 when it represented 22% of the total budget. Similarly, the cost of environmental services saw a rising trend, growing from only 4% to 9% by 2000. Overall, higher education constituted the largest cost to local authorities, and while spending increased for transportation and environmental services, there were corresponding drops in expenditure on health and human resources and K-12 education. The table below shows the cinema viewing figures for films by country, in millions. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Cinema viewing figures for films by country, in millions Action Romance India Ireland New Zealand Japan Total Comedy Horror Totals 8 7.6 7.5 3.8 6.5 5.5 2.5 6.4 24.5 23.3 7.2 4.5 3.9 4.7 20.3 7.1 29.9 4.5 20.3 4 19.9 2.2 15.8 17.8 Test Tip The word respectively is useful in Task 1 for placing data in the order that you write about it. Romance and Comedy are the next popular genres, with the total number of 20.3 million viewers and 19.9 million viewers respectively. Model answer The table compares four countries in terms of the number of people who watch four different genres of film at the cinema: Action, Romance, Comedy and Horror. The table indicates that more Indian people watch films at the cinema than the other three nationalities. In all four countries, Action is the most popular genre of film. The total number of viewers for action films is nearly 30 million and in each country about 7-8 million people watch them. Not many people like watching horror films at the cinema compared to the other genres of film. In India and Japan only 2-2.5 million people watch horror films but they are more popular in New Zealand and Ireland. On the other hand, romance films are very popular in India with 7.5 million viewers but it is not as popular in the other countries. New Zealand and Japan come next with 4.5 million viewers each. The graph below shows the changes in food consumption by Chinese people between 1985 and 2010. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Writing Tip It is best to use amount and quantity for uncountable nouns, although both are used for countable nouns as well, particularly quantity. The amount of consumption decreased in the last 25 years. Put the sentences in the correct order to describe the graph. 1) The graph shows changes in the amount of fish, salt and meat eaten per person per week in China between 1985 and 2010. 3) In 1985, the consumption of fish stood at 610 grams, then increased to 700 grams in 1990. 6) The amount consumed decreased steadily from almost 500 grams per person to only 200 grams by 2010. 8) However, this gradually increased throughout the period. 10) Overall, the consumption of fish rose, while the consumption of salt fell. 7) The amount of meat consumed weekly started at about 100 grams. 2) From the graph we can see that people in China consumed more fish than either meat or salt throughout the period. 9) By 2010 it was at the same level as the consumption of salt. 5) In contrast, there was a consistent drop in salt consumption. 4) Although it dipped in 1995, it then rose steadily and reached 850 grams in 2010. 11) In addition, the consumption of meat, while at a relatively low level, rose significantly during this period. Answer The graph shows changes in the amount of fish, salt and meat eaten per person per week in China between 1985 and 2010. From the graph we can see that people in China consumed more fish than either meat or salt throughout the period. In 1985, the consumption of fish stood at 610 grams, then increased to 700 grams in 1990. Although it dipped in 1995, it then rose steadily and reached 850 grams in 2010. In contrast, there was a consistent drop in salt consumption. The amount consumed decreased steadily from almost 500 grams per person to only 200 grams by 2010. The amount of meat consumed weekly started at about 100 grams. However, this gradually increased throughout the period. By 2010 it was at the same level as the consumption of salt. Overall, the consumption of fish rose, while the consumption of salt fell. In addition, the consumption of meat, while at a relatively low level, rose significantly during this period. The charts give information about two genres of TV programmes watched by men and women and four different age groups in Australia. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. • IELTS Tip With graphs, make sure you understand what each axis is measuring. • With bar and pie charts, there is often a key which tells you what each different bar or area represents. • With tables, read the data across the rows and down the columns to identify the key features. Fill in the gaps in the model answer. The charts give information about the genres of TV programmes that Australian men and women and different age groups watch. It is clear from the charts that women tend to watch more television than man overall, although they watch slightly fewer game shows. The people who watch the mosttelevision are in the 45+ age group. Nearly 70% of women watch reality shows, which is almost twice as many as the percentage of men who choose this genre of programme. Nevertheless, most age groups watch more reality shows than game shows revealing that game shows are generally less popular than reality shows. The percentage of people watching reality shows increases steadily from ages 16 to 45 with thelowest / smallest percentage of viewers, at just over 50% of the age group 16-24 and the highest / biggest / largest / greatest percentage, at 68% of the over-45s. However, the pattern is different for game shows. The number of programmes watched by 25- to 44year-olds is significantly / considerably lower than the number watched by 16- to 24-year-olds and those over 45. Just over 50% of 16- to 24-year-olds watch game shows, but this share is not as high as the share of people aged 45 and over watching game shows, at nearly 70%. Only 41% of 35- to 44year-olds watch game shows, and the share of 24- to 34-year-olds is slightly / even lower at 38%. The map below is of the town of Canterbury. A new school (S) is planned for the area. The map shows two possible sites for the school. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. IELTS Tip It is important to use paragraphs in your Writing Task 1 answer. Paragraphs show that your answer is well organised. Model answer The map shows two proposed sites for a new school for the town of Canterbury and the surrounding area. The first site (S1) is situated in the countryside, to the north-east of the town centre. It is just outside the main housing area of the town and not far from the main road that links Sturry with Canterbury. It would therefore probably be in an ideal location for students coming from Sturry, which is only 5 kilometres away, and those who live on the east side of Canterbury. If there are students coming from Chartham, which is 7 kilometres to the south-west, they would be able to reach the school by taking the main road that runs south-west of Canterbury. The second site (S2) is located in the town centre itself. There are advantages of this: it makes it practically equidistant for students coming from either Sturry or Chartham. Moreover, it would presumably be relatively easy for students who live in the housing area around the town centre to reach the school. However, because of the no traffic zone in the town centre, no parent would be able to drive their child all the way to school. This may make travel arrangements difficult for some parents. The bar chart below shows shares of expenditures for five major categories in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan in the year 2009. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Test Tip In Writing Task 1, it is a good idea to end your answer by summarizing the main information shown by the diagram. You are not required to explain this information. Read the following sample answer. Complete the answer by filling the gaps with the words in the box. by contrast indicates lowest compares overall whereas except higher highest however largest among The bar chart compares how consumers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan allocated different shares of total spending to categories such as food, housing, and transportation in 2009. We can see that the United States had the highest housing expenditure share, 26% of total expenditures in 2009. The United Kingdom and Japan followed, with 24% and 22%, respectively. Canada had the lowest housing share at 21%. Housing was the largest expenditure component in all countries except Japan. By contrast, Canada had the largest transportation share of all four countries at 20%. The United States and the United Kingdom had the next-highest transportation shares, 17% and 15%, respectively. Japan had the lowest, at 10%. However, in Japan, consumers spent 23% of their total expenditures on food in 2009. The United Kingdom had the second-highest share at 20%. Canada, with 15%, and the United States, with 14% had the lowest food expenditure shares among the countries studied. Overall, the data indicates that housing and health care shares of total expenditures were higherin the United States than in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan in 2009, whereas Americans had the lowest clothing share. Canada had the highest clothing and transportation shares, and Japan had the highest food share, among the countries compared. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The chart below shows the percentage change in the share of international students among university graduates in different Canadian provinces between 2001 and 2006. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Source: Statistics Canada, Postsecondary Student Information System Test Tip In Task 1 of the IELTS Writing modules, you may be asked to describe a graph which shows changes over a period of time. To do this you need to use language expressing change and appropriate tenses. In the exam, make sure you leave time to edit your written answer. You will lose marks if you make too many mistakes in grammar and vocabulary. Model answer The chart shows changes in the share of international students who graduated from universities in different Canadian provinces over a period of 5 years. In 2001, this share had a relatively narrow range, from 3% in Ontario to 7.0% in New Brunswick. Nova Scotia had the second highest proportion at 6.5%. Five years later, the figures for most provinces had risen, with the exception of Alberta. There, the figures fell by 1% to just over 4%. By 2006, some parts of Canada experienced a considerable increase in their share of international graduates. Growth in this share was especially strong in the case of New Brunswick, where the figures rose from 7% to 12%. The largest growth occurred in British Columbia, where it more than doubled to 11%. Over this five-year period, changes in the proportion of international graduates have been very uneven across the provinces of Canada. However, New Brunswick remained the province with the highest percentage overall. The diagrams show a structure that is used to generate electricity from wave power. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Generating electricity from sea waves Test Tip 1) Describe key stages in the process in a logical order, making comparisons where appropriate. 2) Use suitable words and phrases to structure and link the process clearly. 3) Remember to include an overview summerising the main features of the process. 4) Vary your vocabulary and use your own words as far as possible. Model answer The two diagrams show how electricity can be generated from the rise and fall of water caused by sea waves. The process involves a structure which is mounted on the side of a cliff or sea wall. This structure consists of a large chamber. One end is open to the sea, and the other leads into a vertical column, which is open to the atmosphere. A turbine is installed inside this column and this is used to generate the electricity in two phases. The first diagram indicates that when a wave approaches the device, water is forced into the chamber, applying pressure on the air within the column. This air escapes to atmosphere through the turbine, thereby producing electricity. The second diagram illustrates the next part of the process when wave retreats. As the water level falls, the air from outside the column is sucked back in through the turbine. As a result, electricity continues to be generated. The turbine rotates only in one direction, regardless of the direction of the air flow. In conclusion, we can see that this structure is useful as electricity is generated in both phases: entering and retreating of water. The chart below gives information about the UK's ageing population in 1985 and makes predictions for 2035. Source: Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency Test Tip In Task 1 of the IELTS Writing modules, you may be asked to interpret and describe data presented in graph form. There are three basic types of graph: pie charts, bar charts and line graphs. Bar charts are useful for comparing the quantities of different categories. Bar charts are constructed such that the lengths of the different bars are proportional to the size of the category they represent. Bar charts usually show the numbers or percentages on the y-axis and the different categories that are being measured along the x-axis. Both axes are labeled to show what they refer to. Sometimes each category along the x-axis can be divided into two further sub-groups, e.g. 1985/2035, so that these sub-groups can be compared. Model answer The graph shows how the size and distribution of the UK's ageing population is likely to change over a 50-year period. Overall, the proportions are predicted to increase in all UK countries. In 1985, 15 per cent of the UK population was over 65, but by 2035, this will account for 23 per cent of the total population. A closer look at the data reveals that the ageing population is expected to rise more in some parts of the UK than in other. In 1985, Wales had the highest percentage of people aged 65 and over, at 16 per cent. The second-largest group could be found in England and the third in Scotland. Northern Ireland had lowest proportion, with 12 per cent aged 65 and over. By 2035, Wales is still going to have by far the greatest percentage of over 65s, with figures likely to reach 26 per cent. However, the biggest increases in this age group, relative to the rest of the population, are predicted to occur in Northern Ireland and Scotland. In Northern Ireland, for example, this figure will increase almost double to 23 per cent. The diagrams below give information on transport and car use in Edmonton. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. People’s reasons for using the car in city Commute to work 55% Shopping 15% Leisure activities 15% Taking children to school 40% Business 45% Test Tip In IELTS Writing Task 1, when you must describe two figures, ask yourself the following: 1) What do both figures relate to? 2) What kind of relationship is evident? (a similarity, a difference, a cause and effect relationship or some other type of relationship) 3) Which aspects of each figure should be highlighted? 4) Should I describe the figures in separate paragraphs, or should I compare different aspects of the figures within a series of paragraph? Model answer The table shows the reason why people in Edmonton use their cars in the city and the pie chart explains what type of transport people prefer to use most of the time. Looking at the pie chart first, it is clear that the car is the most popular means of transport in this city. 45% of the people say that they prefer to commute by car. The second most popular form of transport is the LRT, while busses and taxis are the main means of transport for the rest of the people. The table gives more detailed information about why people use their cars. Surprisingly, 55% of the people need to commute to work by car. Cars are also used a lot for taking children to school or business purposes. Only 15% of drivers are doing their shopping and, similarly, 15% need to travel by car for leisure. Overall, people in Edmonton make good use of alternative methods of transport but there is a heavy dependence on cars for work. The line graph below gives information about the number of visitors to three London museums between June and September 2013. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Test Tip Check the horizontal axis to find whether the graph refers to past, present, future or all three. We use the present simple to describe the graph: The graph shows … , We can see … If the graph refers to past period of time, we use the past simple, and if the graph includes future times, we use will or it is predicted that. Look at the line graph and complete the text with the correct forms of the verbs in brackets and the correct prepositions. The graph shows (show) how many people visited (visit) three London museums in the summer of 2013. Most visitors went (go) to the British museum between June and September. The numberfluctuated (fluctuate) between 500 and 750. By contrast, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum received (receive) fewer visitors. The number of people who visited the Science Museum dropped (drop) gradually from 400 thousand to 300 from June to August then rose (rise) to 450 thousand in September. We can see (see) that the trend for the Natural History Museum was(be) similar. There was a sharp drop in visitors from June to July. The number remained stable(remain stable) in August and then increased (increase) steadily in September. Test Tip Do not copy information from the question paper, use your own words. Make sure that you describe the most important information and that your figures are accurate. When describing trends in the IELTS test it is best to use: - the simple past to talk about ‘finished’ time, e.g. in 1950, last year. - the present perfect to talk about ‘unfinished’ time, e.g. since 1950, ever, this year - a future tense to talk about future time, e.g. in 2030, next year We often use the following expression when talking about future or predicted data, because the simple future is a little too certain: … are/is (un)likely … are/is predicted to … are/is expected to For example: Between 1950 and 2030, the proportion of the world's population is expected to double. OR we use a verb such as predict and a future tense. For example: It is predicted that the proportion of the world's population will double by 2030. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The bar chart below gives information about the percentage of the population living in urban areas in the world and in different continents. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Source: UN, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2005 Revision (2006) and Carl Haub, 2007 World Population Data Sheet. Read the following sample answer. Complete the answer by filling the gaps with the words in the box. by contrast in spite of compares smaller shows marked double highest The bar chart shows the urbanization percentage of the world in 1950 and compares this with the percentage in 2007 and the projected percentage for 2030. Between 1950 and 2030, the proportion of the world's population residing in cities is expected todouble, growing from 29% to 60%. However, this rate is less marked in some continents than others. For example, 64% of the population of North America was urban in 1950, increasing to 79% by 2007. By contrast, just 15% of the African population was urban in 1950, but this rose to 37% by 2007. This represents one of the highest urbanization rates in the world, even though the percentage of Africans in urban areas is still smaller than the world average. It is also clear from the graph that, urbanization in Latin America is projected to be higher than Europe in 2030, in spite of being lower in 1950. Test Tip Vocabulary: Do not confuse ton and tonne. A ton is the same as 1.016 tonnes. In American English a ton is 2000 pounds. Grammar: Use adverbs to make your comparisons more exact. To emphasise a difference, you can use: many, much, far, and significantly. The amount of waste material being recycled in 2011 was much more than in 1985. For small differences you can use: slightly or nearly as ... as. The percentage of garbage being recycled in 1970 was slightly higher than in 1960. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The graph below shows waste recycling rates in the U.S. from 1960 to 2011. Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/facts-text.htm#chart3 Read the following sample answer. Complete the answer by filling the gaps with the correct form of the words in the box. Some words can be used more than once. sharp triple peak reach steady from rise compare significant The graph depicts waste recycling rates in the U.S. from 1960 to 2011, in both percentage and tons. Between 1960 and 1970, the percentage of garbage being recycled annually remained relativelysteady at just over 6%. It then rose slightly over the next 15 years to 10.1% in 1985. On the other hand, the amount of garbage being recycled tripled during the same period, from 5.6 million tons in 1960 to 16.7 million tons in 1985. Following this sharp increase, the amount of waste material being recycled has risen significantly between 1985 and 2011 when it peaked at 86.9 million tons. Similarly, the recycling rate continued to grow sharply from 1985 to 1995, and then at a slower rate over the next 15 years until it reached a peak of 34.7% in 2011. However, this figure is still disappointing compared to the total amount of waste being recycled each year. The table below presents the number of children ever born to women aged 40-44 years in Australia for each year the information was collected since 1981. Number of children ever born, Women aged 40–44 years None One child Two children Three children Four or more children year % % % % % 2006 1996 1986 1981 15.9 12.8 9.7 8.5 13.2 11.3 8.7 7.6 38.3 38.2 35.6 29.0 21.5 24.6 27.0 27.4 11.0 13.1 18.9 27.6 Source: ABS Births Australia 2001, 2006 (3301.0) Test Tip You should ‘signpost’ general statements, i.e. introduce them with expressions such as: The table/pie chart/graph/etc. shows... The most significant change... Another noticeable trend... Overall... You must also support general statements with detailed information from the table/graph/etc. Model answer The table shows the number of children born to women aged 40–44 years in Australia in 1981, 1986, 1996 and 2001. In 1981, women aged 40-44 years were only marginally more likely to have had two children than three children (29% vs 27.4%) or four or more children (27.6%). Similarly, by 1986, women of this age were considerably more likely to have given birth to two children than three children (35.6% vs 27%) or four or more children (18.9%). In 1996 and 2006, the proportions of women aged 40-44 years who had given birth to two children were almost identical, though the proportions who had given birth to three children or to four or more children had decreased. In these more recent periods, women were more likely to have had two children than three or more children - a trend that was most marked in the most recent period (38.2% vs 24.6% in 1996; 38.3% vs 21.5% in 2006). While two-child families now predominate, the number of women who had given birth to only one child increased progressively from 7.6% in 1981 to 13.2% in 2006. In 1981, similar proportions of women aged in their early forties were childless or had given birth to only one child (8.5% and 7.6% respectively). By 2006, 15.9% of women were childless and 13.2% had given birth to only one child. Overall, by age 40-44 years, the proportion of women who have had three or more children has fallen considerably since the 1980s, while the proportions who have had no children, or only one or two children has increased. The table below presents the number of children ever born to women aged 40-44 years in Australia for each year the information was collected since 1981. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Number of children ever born, Women aged 40–44 years None One child Two children Three children Four or more children year % % % % % 2006 1996 1986 1981 15.9 12.8 9.7 8.5 13.2 11.3 8.7 7.6 38.3 38.2 35.6 29.0 21.5 24.6 27.0 27.4 11.0 13.1 18.9 27.6 Source: ABS Births Australia 2001, 2006 (3301.0) Test Tip You should ‘signpost’ general statements, i.e. introduce them with expressions such as: The table/pie chart/graph/etc. shows... The most significant change... Another noticeable trend... Overall... You must also support general statements with detailed information from the table/graph/etc. Model answer The table shows the number of children born to women aged 40–44 years in Australia in 1981, 1986, 1996 and 2001. In 1981, women aged 40-44 years were only marginally more likely to have had two children than three children (29% vs 27.4%) or four or more children (27.6%). Similarly, by 1986, women of this age were considerably more likely to have given birth to two children than three children (35.6% vs 27%) or four or more children (18.9%). In 1996 and 2006, the proportions of women aged 40-44 years who had given birth to two children were almost identical, though the proportions who had given birth to three children or to four or more children had decreased. In these more recent periods, women were more likely to have had two children than three or more children - a trend that was most marked in the most recent period (38.2% vs 24.6% in 1996; 38.3% vs 21.5% in 2006). While two-child families now predominate, the number of women who had given birth to only one child increased progressively from 7.6% in 1981 to 13.2% in 2006. In 1981, similar proportions of women aged in their early forties were childless or had given birth to only one child (8.5% and 7.6% respectively). By 2006, 15.9% of women were childless and 13.2% had given birth to only one child. Overall, by age 40-44 years, the proportion of women who have had three or more children has fallen considerably since the 1980s, while the proportions who have had no children, or only one or two children has increased. Test Tip If there is more than one diagram, study any heading, key or source for each. Decide what the vertical and horizontal axes measure, and what the bars show. Look for similarities, differences, changes and trends. The graphs below provide information on global population figures and figures for urban populations in different world regions. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population Model answer The first graph shows the trend in world population growth between 1800 and 2100, while the second graph gives predicted urban population figures for the next 25 years. The world population has experienced continuous growth since 1800. Between 1800 and 1950, the population grew slowly from just under 1 billion to 2.5 billion people. After that, the growth rate increased and currently the figure is around 6.5 billion. Projections show a continued increase in population in the near future, but a steady decline in the population growth rate. The global population is expected to peak at 8.2 billion by 2050, and then decline to around 6.2 billion by 2100. The predictions also show that almost all urban population growth in the next 25 years will occur in cities of developing countries. In developed regions, on the other hand, the urban population is expected to remain unchanged at about 1.3 billion people over the next two decades. The graphs show that the global population increase will not occur evenly throughout the world, but will be greater in some areas than others. Test Tip You only have 20 minutes to do Writing Task 1, so make sure the points you include are: Relevant – you will waste time and lose marks if you don’t follow the instructions. Don’t speculate or add your own opinions. Not repetitive – don’t say the same thing in different words, or write similar sentences about all the figures. Describe something different in every point. Make comparisons and describe trends rather than focus on individual numbers. Accurate – giving the wrong information loses marks, so study the question carefully and interpret data or diagrams correctly. The chart below shows the percentage of male and female teachers in six different types of educational setting in the UK in 2010. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The bar chart gives information about the gender of teachers in six types of educational institutions in the UK in 2010. It shows what percentage of teachers was male and what percentage was female. Women dominated the teaching profession in primary education, but less so at lower and upper secondary education. It was particularly true of nursery school, where the share of female teachers was above 95%. Similarly one-sided was the situation in primary school, where over 90% of teachers were also female. At secondary and upper secondary level this pattern was less pronounced, where there were nearly equal proportions of male and female teachers. On the other hand, male teachers outnumbered female teachers in high-level education, where the proportion of men was twice that for women. Overall, the higher the level of education, the more male teachers dominated, and the reverse occurred with respect to female teachers. The diagrams below show UK students' responses to the question of to what extent would they describe themselves as financially organised. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Very organised % All students 21 Age up to 22 years 18 Age 23-25 years 26 Age over 26 years 35 Source: http://www.unite-group.co.uk/binaries/MungoBlobs-1350377092294.pdf Test Tip In IELTS Writing Task 1, you do not need to describe all the information given. To summarise, you must select the main features from what is shown. Information is often given in the form of a graph, a chart, or a table. Read any headings, key and sources for the data to understand what it relates to. The data may show differences or changes over time, between places, or between groups of people. Try to identify significant contrasts, similarities, or trends. Model answer The two diagrams show students' responses to the question of how good they are at managing their finances. The pie chart illustrates the ability of UK students to manage their finances and the table shows the proportion of students, by age, who think they are very organised at managing their finances. More than three-quarters of students (76%) believe they are either ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ organised financially, while one in five (20%) say they are not very organised in this area. Only 4% of students rate themselves as ‘not at all’ competent. The ability to manage one’s finances well would seem to develop with age and experience as older students are almost twice as likely to say they are ‘very’ organised than younger ones (31% of students aged 26 or over compared to just 17% for those aged up to 22). Overall, the findings suggest that students generally manage their finances well. IELTS Tip 1) Look carefully at the diagram and make sure you understand what it is about. 2) Use your answer sheet to make notes on, but remember to cross them out when you have finished your answer. 3) Begin your answer by writing a summary sentence to introduce what the diagram or flow chart is about. 4) Note that the passive is often used in this task. 5) Count approximately how many words you write. 6) You should try not to write too much! You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The diagram below shows the production of steam using a gas cooled nuclear reactor. Model answer A gas-cooled nuclear reactor consists of the reactor itself and a heat exchanger. The reactor contains uranium fuel elements which are surrounded by graphite moderators and topped by charge tubes for loading fuel elements, and boron control rods. The whole reactor is contained in a pressure vessel surrounded by a concrete shield. From the reactor the hot gas flows through a duct into the heat exchanger which is outside the concrete radiation shielding. In the heat exchanger, steam is generated in a secondary loop. There a pipe brings in water which is heated to steam, and this then flows out to the turbo-alternator. Meanwhile the hot gas sinks to the bottom of the heat exchanger and passes through a gas blower which pushes it into a cool gas duct and back to the reactor. As can be seen, this is a continuous cycle that keeps the reactor from overheating, while carrying away the heat and steam, which will power the turbines. The pie charts below give information about world population in 1900 and 2000. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Writing Tip We can use either present simple tense or past simple tense when describing data in pie charts. Whichever tense you choose, remember to be consistent throughout your whole answer. Model answer The pie charts illustrate changes in the population of different areas of the world between 1900 and 2000. The major regions are represented as percentages of the total world population. From 1900 to 2000, the percentage of people living in Africa more than doubled from 4.5% to 10%, while Latin America’s proportion almost tripled in the same period. On the other hand, the percentage of population in Europe and Asia decreased over the last century. Europe’s percentage dropped from 25% to 14%, while Asia declined from 60% to 54%. North America’s percentage however, remained constant at 5% in 1900 and 2000. The Middle East and North Africa, a new category in 2000, represented 6% of world population. Overall, this represents a huge increase in the number of humans on the planet, from 1.6 billion to 6 billion in just one century. Most of this population growth has occurred in developing countries. The bar chart below gives information about the number of students studying Computer Science at a UK university between 2010 and 2012. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The bar chart illustrates the number of male and female students studying Computer Science at a UK university over three years. It also indicates whether they were home or international students. Compared to the number of home students, the number of international students was significantly smaller. Nevertheless, there was clear statistical growth in the latter group from 2010-2012. Furthermore, the number of female home students eventually overtook the number of males from the same group, reaching a high of 45 in 2012. The year 2011 saw the most dramatic developments; the number of male home students fell from just below 40 to 24 and the number of females rose from 32 to 44. There was also significant growth in the number of male students from overseas, climbing from 20 in 2010 to 39 in 2012. Overall, we can see an upward trend in the number of students at the university. The graph below gives information from Annual Energy Outlook 2008 about consumption of energy in the USA since 1980 with projection until 2030. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Source: http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/0383(2008).pdf Exam Tip The verb Tell can be used to refer to a chart/graph: The graph tells us how much energy was consumed. However, it is better to use language that is more impersonal: The graph showshow much energy was consumed. You should not use Say to talk about charts/graphs: From the graph I can say how much energy … Model answer The graph shows consumption of energy in the U.S. since 1980 with projections through 2030. The historical trends show Petrol and Oil as the major sources of fuel, rising from 35 quadrillion (35q) units used in 1980 to 42q in 2012. Despite some fluctuation between 1980 and 1995, there was a steady increase, which is expected to continue, reaching 47q in 2030. Consumption of energy from natural gas and coal followed a similar pattern over the period. From 20q and 15q respectively in 1980, gas showed an initial fall and coal a gradual increase, with the two fuels equal between 1985 and 1990. Consumption has fluctuated since 1990 but both now provide 24q. Coal consumption is projected to rise to 31q in 2030, whereas after 2014, natural gas is forecast to remain stable at 25q. In 1980, energy from solar/wind, nuclear, and hydropower was the least-used, with only 4q. Nuclear has risen by 3q, and solar/wind by 2. Since 2005, hydropower has fallen back to the 1980 figure. It is expected to remain approximately constant through 2030, while the others are projected to rise gradually after 2025. Overall, fossil fuels will remain the chief energy source for the US, with a little bit of hydroelectric, nuclear and a smidgen of renewables like wind and solar. The chart below shows the total number of minutes (in millions) of telephone calls in Finland, divided into three categories, from 1995 – 2004. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The chart shows the time spent by Finland’s residents on different types of telephone calls between 1995 and 2004. Local landline calls were the highest throughout the period, rising from 12000 million minutes in 1995 to just under 17000 million in 2000. After peaking at 17000 million the following year, these calls had fallen back to the 1995 figure by 2004. National and international landline calls grew steadily from 6000 million to 10500 million at the end of the period in question, though the growth slowed over the last two years. There was a dramatic increase in mobile calls from 250 to 9800 million minutes. This rise was particularly noticeable between 2000 and 2004, during which time the use of mobile phones tripled. To sum up, although local landline calls were still the most popular in 2004, the gap between the three categories had narrowed considerately over the second half of the period in question. The graph below gives information about international tourist arrivals in five countries. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The graph shows the overall numbers of tourist arrivals in five countries between 1995 and 2010. In 1995 over 70 million tourists visited the United States, more than twice as many as the next most popular destination shown, France. However, between 2005 and 2010 there was a decrease of approximately 1,500,000 in the numbers going to the United States whereas there was an increase of nearly 20 million tourists visiting France. The result was that in 2010 the number of tourists arriving in the United States and France was almost equal at around 90 million each. The number of tourists visiting Malaysia rose steadily over the whole period but by 2010 the total was still under 50 million. The countries with the fewest tourist arrivals were Brazil and Egypt. The number of tourists going there was similar between 1995 and 2000 but after that there was a greater increase in tourists going to Egypt than to Brazil. IELTS Tip Always use the present tense to describe a table, unless it contains information about a time in the past or past dates, e.g. years, are used as categories. Complete the description of the table using an appropriate word, words or number. reasons for shopping at ASDA supermarket no. of men no. of women close to home 25 20 good reputation 17 22 24-hour shopping 4 0 parking facilities 21 20 friendly staff 6 6 competitive prices 14 17 The table shows the main reasons why ASDA is a popular supermarket for shoppers. The top three reasons are its location / closeness to home, its reputation and its parking facilities. Of these, the most important reason why men shop at ASDA is that the shop is close to their home – 25 men rated this as an important factor. Women, however, prefer ASDA to other supermarkets mainly because it has a good reputation / of its reputation. They rated the location of the supermarket second. A significant number of both men and women also choose to shop at ASDA because it has / of the / of its good parking facilities. The women felt / said / thought / considered this was as important as the location of the supermarket. On the other hand, the attitude of the staff does not seem to be an important factor asonly six women and six men rated this highly. Surprisingly, almost no one said they prefer to shop / shopping at ASDA because it is open 24 hours a day. The table below shows the number of medals won by the top ten countries in the London 2012 Olympic Games. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. London 2012 Olympic Games Medal Table Rank by Country Gold Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 United States 46 29 29 104 2 China 38 27 23 88 3 Great Britain 29 17 19 65 4 Russia 24 26 32 82 5 South Korea 13 8 7 28 6 Germany 11 19 14 44 7 France 11 11 12 34 8 Italy 8 9 11 28 9 Hungary 8 4 5 17 10 Australia 7 16 12 35 Source: http://www.london2012.com/medals/medal-count/ IELTS Writing Tip When you write about a chart or table you will receive marks for organising and describing all the information. You will not receive marks for giving reasons for the information or giving your opinion about the information (but you will not lose marks if you do this). As you have limited time and number of words, write about the information only. Model answer The table shows the number of medals won by the top ten countries in the London 2012 Olympic Games. The USA won greatest number of medals overall with the total of 104. They won more gold medals than silver and more medals than any other country in both categories. China had the second number of medals at 88, and like the USA, China won fewer silver medals than gold medals. While Russia’s silver medal total was better than Great Britain’s, they did not do as well as Great Britain in the gold medals, winning just 24. In fact Great Britain had a lower overall medal total than Russia but, as the table is based on the number of gold medals won, they were placed third. Similarly, Germany was significantly more successful at winning medals than South Korea, with a total of 44 compared to South Korea’s 28, but because South Korea won two more gold medals than Germany they were ranked higher. Australia gave the worst performance in this group, winning only seven gold and sixteen silver medals. The pie charts below show the average household expenditures in a country in 1950 and 2010. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Average Household Expenditures by Major Category Model answer Look at the phrases in italic. Choose the phrase which sounds more formal. The two pie charts give information about what households spent their money on / household expenditure on goods and services in 1950 and 2010. It is immediately obvious that there are some quite significant differences / some things are significantly different between the two charts. In 2010 the largest proportion of expenditure was / most money was spent on food whereas in 1950 it was on housing, with food for just 11.2%. There is a great difference in terms of the amount of money people’s spent on housing / housing expenditure between the two years. In 1950 72.1% of the total household budget / the total of what households spent went towards housing, compared to only 22% in 2010. There has been a notable increase in / People have notably increased the amount of money spent on transportation between the two dates. In addition, the charts show a significant rise in the proportion of money spent on health care / that people spent more on health care in 2010 compared to 1950. There are some similarities, however. For example, in both 1950 and 2010 people spent a similar proportion on education. / the proportion of education expenditure was roughly the same. Writing Tip When comparing statistics we usually say: Comparing the figures for 1950 and 2010, we can see some quite significant differences between the two charts. NOT Compared the figures for 1950. We use compared to or compared with as follows: Compared to 1950, housing expenditure in 2010 was relatively low. NOT Comparing with 1950. Or: Housing expenditure in 1950 was quite high compared to/with 2010. NOT comparing to 2010. The table below shows the average band scores for students from different language groups taking the IELTS General Test in 2010. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Listening Reading German 6.8 6.3 Writing Speaking Overall 6.6 6.9 6.7 French 6.3 6.1 6.5 6.6 6.5 Indonesian 6.3 6.1 6.1 6.7 6.3 Malay 6.2 6.4 6.0 6.6 6.4 Writing Tip: writing an introduction Use the following structure for the introduction to a Task 1 answer: 1) One or two sentences to explain what the table shows (Use different words from the words used in the heading for the table wherever possible.) 2) One or two sentences summarizing the information shown in the table. 3) Do not include details in the introduction. Save the details for the main part of your text, after the introduction. Model answer The table illustrates the breakdown of scores for the IELTS General Test in 2010. It shows separate scores for all four modules (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking), together with the overall band scores for students from four different language groups around the world. From an overall perspective, German speakers achieved the highest overall band score. Moreover, they scored the highest of all four language groups in three modules of the test (Listening, Writing, Speaking). French speaking candidates scored the second highest overall score of 6.7 out of 9, closely followed by Malay and Indonesian speakers. Although French speakers did not do so well in the Reading, Speaking and Listening modules compared to Indonesian and Malay speakers, there was a significant difference in their grades for the Writing module. These grades were high relative to Indonesian and Malay candidates. Surprisingly, Malay speakers, who achieved the second lowest result overall, achieved the highest results of all four language groups for the Reading module. As a final point, it is interesting to note that the scores for each module show that all students, on average, scored the highest marks for the Speaking module and the lowest marks for the Reading module. The graph below shows the population figures of different types of turtles in India between 1980 and 2012. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The total number of all species of turtles in India has been relatively stable over the last two decades, although there were significant drops in numbers between 1987 and 1989 and again in 1992 and 1996. Since 2004 there has been an improvement in numbers of all species, although the graph shows a slight decrease in 2010. In contrast, the population of Leatherback turtles has suffered a severe decline, particularly in 1988 when numbers fell dramatically. The rate of decline in the population appears to have slowed and it has remained relatively stable since 2009. There was also a fall in the number of Green turtles of around 30% between 1984 and 2002. The population increased slightly in 2010 but it had dropped again by 2012. It is only Olive Ridley turtles that have seen a steady increase in population over this period. Their numbers dropped slightly in 2007 and again in 2012 but the overall trend has been a positive one. The following diagram shows how greenhouse gases trap energy from the Sun. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. Complete the answer by filling the gaps with a word or phrase from the box below. lead to release result in subsequently fell reach less decades amounts as a result of Energy from the Sun reaches the Earth as heat. Some of this heat energy is subsequently/thenradiated into space, while some of it is trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and reflected back to Earth. This is a natural process, but in recent decades, human activities have led to an increase in the amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which is now trapping too much heat. One of the main greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide, and extra quantities of this are released/have been released into the atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels as a source of energy in power stations, factories and homes. Exhaust gases from cars and lorries result in/have resulted in further emissions of carbon dioxide. Plants serve to remove some of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by absorbing it through their leaves. However, as large areas of forest are (being) felled/have been felled in the Amazon and elsewhere, less carbon dioxide is removed in this way. The bar chart below shows the estimated sales of jeans for two companies next year in Turkey. The pie chart shows the projected market share of the two companies in jeans at the end of next year. Write a short report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. Test Tip 1) Remember you do not get extra marks for writing more than 150 words, but you will lose marks if you write less. 2) ‘Others’ is sometimes mentioned as a category on charts. Don’t ignore it. Decide what it is referring to – in the chart above it refers to other companies – and then include the information if you think it is relevant. Model answer 1 The bar chart shows the estimated sales of jeans in thousands of pairs for two companies in Turkey next year. It is anticipated that purchases of jeans at Mango Co. will rise from 150,000 pairs in January to approximately 500,000 pairs in August, and will remain there until November. For December, sales are expected to be in the region of 600,000 pairs. Meanwhile, it is estimated that the sales of jeans for Jack & Jones Co. will begin the year at around 450,000 pairs in January, falling to about 250,000, before increasing to around 400,000 in June. For the next two months until August, sales are forecast to remain steady at this level, after which they are expected to rise steadily to hit a peak of approximately 900,000 pairs in December. The pie chart shows that, at the end of next year, the anticipated market share for Mango Co. and Jack & Jones Co. is 20% and 30% respectively. As can be seen from the chart, the overall sales trends for both companies are forecast to be upwards. Model answer 2 The bar chart shows the predicted sales of jeans in thousands of pairs for two companies in Turkey; Mango Co. and Jack & Jones Co. for next year. The most striking feature is that sales will increase for both companies, It is anticipated that sales of Jack & Jones Co. will start at 450,000 pairs in January decreasing by 200,000 pairs following month with a gradual recover over the subsequent four months reaching 400,000 pairs in June. Those of Jack & Jones Co. are predicted to be stable until August peaking up to 600,000 pairs in September and October. Sales of Jack & Jones will reach a peak of 900,000 in December, For those of Mango Co. is forecasted a gradual increase with the largest sale of 600,000 pairs in December. In the beginning of the next year those of Mango Co. will stand at 150,000 pairs falling back to 100,000 pairs in February, rising steadily to 250,000 in June, In subsequent months sales will reach 450,000 pairs increasing to 500,000 pairs in August, staying stable until November, Regarding the pie chart the sales of Jack & Jones Co. will share 30% of market whereas those of Mango Co. 20%. 50% of market is set to be shared by other companies. The table below shows the monthly expenditure of an average Australian family in 1991 and 2001. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. 1991 2001 Australian Dollar Per Month Food 155 160 Electricity and Water 75 120 Clothing 30 20 Housing 95 100 Transport 70 45 Other goods and services* 250 270 Total 675 715 *Other goods and services: non-essential goods and services IELTS Tip You cannot include all the data in your answer, so you need to select the most interesting data related to the key features to illustrate your summary. Model answer The table shows changes in the spending patterns of an average Australian household between 1991 and 2001. In general, Australian household spending was high in 2001 than in 1991 but the difference was not significant (AUD $715 per month and AUD $675 per month respectively). The amount of monthly spending on electricity and water saw a dramatic increase over the 10-year period from $75 to $120. Yet in terms of the expenditure on non-essential goods and services, the rising trend was less obvious with a minor increase of $20. At the same time, the amount of money spent on food and housing rose only slightly from $155 to $160 and $95 to $100 respectively. However, there was a decrease in expenditure on the other two items. Australians spent one third less on clothing, which fell from $30 to $20. Similarly, expenditure on transport dropped from $70 in 1991 to $45 in 2001. It seems that food and “other goods and services” were the two biggest items of expenditure. Altogether, they accounted for more than half of the total household spending. By comparison, Australians spent little on dressing up. The pie charts below show electricity generation by source in New Zealand and Germany in 1980 and 2010. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Electricity Generation by Source in New Zealand Electricity Generation by Source in Germany Model answer The charts compare the sources of electricity in New Zealand and Germany in the years 1980 and 2010. Between these years, electricity generation almost doubled, rising from 127 units to 200 in New Zealand, and from 107 to 214 units in Germany. In 1980 New Zealand used coal as the main electricity source (56 units) and the remainder was produced from natural gas, hydro power (each producing 30 units) and petroleum (which produced only 11 units). By 2010, coal had become the fuel for more than 75% of electricity produced and only hydro continued to be another significant source supplying approximately 20%. In contrast, Germany used coal as a source for only 28 units of electricity in 1980, which was matched by natural gas. The remaining 49 units were produced largely from petroleum and nuclear power, with hydro contributing only 7 units. But by 2010 nuclear power, which was not used at all in New Zealand, had developed into the main source, producing almost 75% of electricity, at 155 units, while coal and petroleum together produced only 55 units. Other sources were no longer significant. Overall, it is clear by 2010 these two countries relied on different principal fuel sources: New Zealand relied on coal and Germany on nuclear power. The graph below shows the changes in maximum number of Asian elephants between 1994 and 2007. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The graph shows the estimated maximum population of elephants in a range of Asian countries in both 1997 and 2004. In most of the countries included in the graph, the population fell. This was most noticeable in Malaysia and Thailand, where the number of elephants was thought to be less than half the figure in 1997. In the former, the number of elephants dropped as low as 1000. India remained the country with by far the largest elephant population, but experienced a dramatic fall in numbers so that in 2004 there may have been as few as 7500. Despite its size, China had a very small population of at most 500 elephants by 2004. Although the trend was downwards overall, elephant populations were thought to have remained stable in Laos and Vietnam at approximately 1200. The only country where elephants showed signs of recovering was Cambodia, where numbers may have risen by up to 200. IELTS Tip: Key features Key features are the most noticeable, significant facts contained in the graph. You should select at least three key features, which will form the basis of your answer. Do not try to mention everything. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The chart below shows the GDP growth per year for three countries between 2007 and 2010. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The chart shows the annual GDP growth for three countries from 2007 to 2010. By the year 2007 the figure for Tunisia was by far the highest at close to 6.3% per annum. This figure is double that of Ecuador and three times that of Japan on a global level. However by 2008 this trend has changed considerably; the Japanese doubled their annual GDP over this period and there was also an increase in the GDP of Ecuador, while Tunisia fell to 4.5% per year. In 2009 and 2010, the downward trend for Tunisia continued falling to a low of 3% at the end of this period. For Ecuador, the GDP fell sharply to just under 1.5% in the year 2009 and rose only slightly in 2010 to 2.3%. On the other hand, for Japan, the GDP figure rose significantly throughout this time and by the year 2010 had more than matched the GDP figures for Tunisia of the year 2007. Complete the answer by filling the gaps with an adverb or adjective from the box below. dramatic dramatically impressive impressively slight slightly steady steadily sharp sharply steep steeply The world population grew .................... between 1960 and 2000. The world population experienced a .................... growth between 1960 and 2000. European City Tourism showed an .................... growth of 50% for three consecutive years from 2006 to 2008. European City Tourism grew .................... by 50% for three consecutive years from 2006 to 2008. Diesel consumption showed a .................... increase between 2010 and 2011. Diesel consumption increased .................... between 2010 and 2011. Consumption of chocolate fell .................... between 1970 and 2010. There was a .................... fall in consumption of chocolate between 1970 and 2010. Worldwide sales of CD-ROM drives climbed .................... during the first half of the year before falling .................... in August. There was a .................... climb in worldwide sales of CD-ROM drives during the first half of the year before a .................... fall in August. Grammar Tip Percentage, proportion, number and amount are the most common terms used to describe the quantities shown in graphs and charts in Academic Writing Task 1. The percentage of people who read print books decreased. The proportion of people who read e-books was larger/smaller in 2013 than in 2012. The number of people who prefer e-books increased. Teenagers spend a smaller amount on books than older people. For number you must have a plural, countable noun following. Remember also that amountshould be used for uncountable nouns. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The chart below shows the percentage of total US population aged 65 and over between 1900 and 2000. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The chart shows the percentage of total population aged 65 and over in the U.S. between 1900 and 2000. In the year 1900 just over 4% of the population was aged over 65. However, by 1960 this figure had doubled. The number of people aged between 75 and 84 remained fairly steady between 1900 and 1930, making up only 1-1.3% of the population. The figure began to rise more significantly in 1940 and by 1970 it had tripled to reach 3% of the population. Although there was no change in the number of people aged 65 -74 between 1960 and 1970, the number of people aged 75 and over increased during this time. By the year 2000, 12.4% of the US population had reached the age of 65 or more, although this was slightly lower than in 1990 when it peaked at 12.6%. The chart shows that today people in the U.S. can expect to live longer than in 1900. By the year 2000 more than 12% of the population had managed to live to the age of 65 and over compared to only 4.1% in 1900. The chart below shows male and female fitness membership between 1970 and 2000. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The chart shows male and female fitness membership over a thirty-year period. The vertical axis represents the number of members. The horizontal axis represents the period from 1970 to 2000. Overall, the chart indicates that there were greater fluctuations in fitness membership among men than among women. The number of male members started the period at just over two thousand and reached highs of four thousand in 1975 and five thousand around 1995. The lowest rates were in 1985 and more recently in 2000 when the rate dipped as low as one thousand. Female fitness membership began lower at one thousand, doubled by 1975, and then fluctuated between two and three thousand for the remainder of the period. When male rates were at their lowest, female rates were higher. This was particularly true in 1985 when over three thousand women held fitness membership. In brief, there were marked differences in rates of male and female fitness memberships in the period covered. Complete the answer by filling the gaps with a word or phrase from the box below. steadily hovering trend meanwhile rocketed fluctuated peak plummeted period The chart shows the average daily viewing figures for Channel One News over a 12month..................... The figure for the 1pm News remained fairly stable, .................... at around 1.3 million throughout the year. The figure for the 6pm News began the year at 4.8 million. It...................., but the general .................... was downwards, and it ended the year at 3.4 million. The figure for the 9:30 News gradually increased from 3.2 million viewers per day in January to a.................... of 3.8 million in May. However, this month saw the introduction of the 11pm News, and the figure for the 9:30 News ...................., hitting a low-point of 1.1 million in August. In the same period, the figure for the 11pm news .................... from 0.2 million to 4.1 million. At this point, the trend reversed. From August onwards, the figure for the 9:30 news grew ...................., reaching 3 million by the end of the year. ...................., the figure for the 11pm News declined sharply, and in December fell below the 1 million mark. Vocabulary Tip When talking about statistics we say that figures reach a peak of or peak at: The number of viewers reached a peak of 3.8 million / peaked at 3.8 million in May. The opposite of a peakis a low. The word trough also has this meaning, but is usually used together with the wordpeak: The number of viewers fell to a low of only 1.1 million in August. The figure has itspeaks and troughs. The chart below shows information about the challenges people face when they go to live in other countries. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The chart shows the challenges people face when they settle in a new country and how the challenges vary according to people’s ages. The most challenging aspect for young people aged 18 to 34 is making new friends, a problem experienced by 46% of the people in this age group. However, only 36% of 35 - 54 year olds find it hard to make friends, while even fewer people over 55 (23%) have this problem. 54% of the older age group finds learning the local language the biggest obstacle when settling. In comparison, the youngest age group finds this easier, and the percentage of people who have problems learning the language is much lower, at only 29%. In contrast to their language-learning difficulties, only 22% of people in the oldest age group have trouble finding accommodation. However, this is the second most significant problem for the other two age groups with 39% to 40% of the people in each group finding it hard. In general, all age groups experience the same problems to some extent, but people over the age of 55 reported that they face markedly fewer challenges settling in a new country than their younger respondents. Vocabulary in the report The charts A and B show the share of the UK and Australian cinema market in 2001 and cinema admission in the UK and Australia from 1976 to 2006. Sources: Admission data: BFI, Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (MPDAA). Read this sample report and fill each space by choosing one of the words in the box. accounted compared dropped stood fell increased opposed predominated recovered Chart (A) shows the cinema industry’s share of the Australian and UK cinema market by origin in 2001. In both countries, films made in the United States .................... with 77% of the market in the UK .................... to 67% in Australia. UK films .................... for 21% of the UK cinema market and 6% of the Australian market. On the other hand, while 11% of the films shown in Australia were Australian, no Australian films were shown in the UK. Films from other countries had 16% of the market share in Australia as .................... to just 2% in the UK. Chart (B) shows cinema admissions in the UK and Australia since 1976. In both countries cinema admissions .................... in the early 1980s. In Australia admissions ....................from just under 40 million in 1980 to about 30 million in 1984–6 while in the UK the decrease was far more dramatic (from 100 million in 1980 to less than 60 million in 1984). Since then, however, the industry has .................... in both countries. In 2001, cinema admissions in the UK.................... at over 150 million, whereas in Australia they reached 90 million. Overall, the charts show that the cinema has .................... in popularity in both countries over the last 15 years, but that the origins of the films projected in Australia are more diverse than in the UK. The graph below shows the demand for electricity in England during typical days in winter and summer. The pie chart shows how electricity is used in an average English home. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The Demand for electricity in England during typical days in winter and summer is illustrated in the graph. The use of electricity in an average English home is shown in the pie chart. From the graph it is generally obvious that the demand is in its maximum around 2100 in winter times and in its minimum around 400 being almost constant between 1200 and 2100 in winter times. During summer times on the other hand the demand reaches its top point around 1300 and the bottom point around 900 being almost constant between 1550 and 2000. In wither times the curve gradually increases to reach 40000 units of electricity by 3 o’clock in the morning. This is followed by gradual decline to its lowest limit of 30000 units at 9 o’clock. A gradual rise is obvious again to reach a stationary level between 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock of about 40000 units again. Then there is a sharp rise in the next hour to reach its maximum before collapsing again to a lower level by the end of the day. In summer time the curve gradually decrease to reach its lower limit around 9 o’clock of a bit more that 10000 units. A gradual increase is noticed to reach its top of 20000 after which a stationary phase is obvious between 3 o’clock and 10 o’clock at night of about 15000 units. The pie chart on the other hand shows that 52.5% of the electricity is used for heating rooms and water. 17.5% is consumed for ovens kettles and washing machines 15% is used in lighting TV and radio and finally 15% is consumed in the sue of vacuum cleaners food mixtures and electric tools. This answer would probably exceed Band 6 The chart below shows the number of girls per 100 boys enrolled in different levels of school education. Write a short report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. Model answer The chart shows the number of female students per 100 male students in primary, secondary and tertiary education. On Average, more boys than girls were enrolled in school both in 1990 and 1998 in all the countries, except in tertiary education in developed countries. The number of girls per 100 boys was bigger in 1998 than in 1990 in the two country groups and in all the educational stages. Turning to the detail, there were more boys than girls in primary and secondary education. As can be seen, developing countries saw a bigger discrepancy between the numbers of male and female students than developed countries, with the number of girls per 100 boys at 83 in 1990 and 87 in 1998 in primary education. However, in developed countries, the balance of the two was much closer to the ideal, particularly in secondary education, with 98 girls per 100 boys in 1990 and 99 in 1998. Regarding tertiary education, the balance was even worse than in any other levels of education in developing countries with 66 girls enrolled for every 100 boys in 1990 and 75 in 1998. On the other hand, in developing countries, the number of girls overtook that of boys at 105 per 100 boys in 1990 and 112 in 1998. This answer would probably exceed Band 7 The graph below shows the unemployment rates in the US and Japan between March 1993 and March 1999. Write a short report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. Model answer According to the results of the labor-force research published recently, the following conclusions can be drawn from it: In March, 1993, United States had seven percent of their workforce which might not seem disastrous until compared with Japan, where 2.5% were unemployed. However, the unemployment rate in United States began declining slowly since March 1993, and reached 5% mark in the middle of 1996. Japan turned out to be less lucky, as their unemployment rate doubled in three years. From then on, the percentage of unemployed workforce in United States remained roughly the same — about 5% until March 99, although there were minor falls and rises in the unemployment rate. As for Japan, the percentage of unemployed fell rapidly by 0.5—0.6% after March 1996, but from summer 1996 and onwards it grew steadily and without any falls to reach 5.0% boundary in March 1999. The major conclusion that I've drawn using the graph, is that number of unemployed in USA decreased by about 2.0% in the course of six years, while in Japan it actually increased by 2.5% percent. As a result, in March 99, both Japan and US had about 5% of their work force unemployed. (198 words) EXAMINER’S EXPLANATION Band 7 “This is a good account of the information presented in the graph, although occasionally the organisation of the data is slightly unusual. The writer grasps all the key points, however, and supports these with figures, before providing a summary of the main points. Sentence structures are more than adequate, although the writer has some problems with the use of tenses and prepositions. There are minor examples of unsuitable register (e.g. ‘turned out’, ‘disastrous’, and one contracted verb form), but as there are only a few instances of this, the candidate has not been penalised.” The tables below give information about the amount of beer and fruit juice consumed per person per year in different countries. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Beer* 1 Ireland 2 Germany 3 Austria 4 Belgium 5 Denmark 6 United Kingdom 7 Australia 155 litres 119 litres 106 litres 98 litres 98 litres 97 litres 89 litres 8 United States 85 litres 9 Netherlands 80 litres 10 Finland 79 litres Fruite juice* 1 Canada 52.6 litres 2 United States 42.8 litres 3 Germany 38.6 litres 4 Austria 37.3 litres 5 Sweden 35.5 litres 6 Australia 34.4 litres 7 Finland 33 litres 8 United Kingdom 29.3 litres 9 Netherlands 28.1 litres 10 New Zealand 24.8 litres *Litres per person per year IELTS Writing Tip: Comparing Data Where more than one table is given in task 1 of the writing test, you are expected to compare and contrast the information. There are TWO ways of structuring this kind of writing task. Firstly, present the information from one table, then compare and contrast it with the information in the other table. Alternatively, compare the information point by point, that is describe point 1 in the first table and compare it with point 1 in the second table, and so on. Remember that whichever approach you take you should always begin with an overview of the table and try to limit your answers to the most significant points. Model answer The tables show the amount of beer and fruit juice consumed per person per year in countries around the world. Beer is most popular in Ireland, with the average Irish drinking 155 litres per year. Germany ranks second with 119 litres per person. In fact, the top six countries in terms of consumption of beer are all European. Australia and The United States come next in seventh and eighth positions, with Netherland and Finland consuming the least beer of the countries mentioned. Finnish people only drink an average of 79 litres of beer a year. The country which consumes by the greatest quantity of fruit juice per capita is Canada. Canadians drink an average of 52.6 litres each a year, that’s almost double the consumption of New Zealand, which is placed at the bottom of the table. Another North American country, The United States, come second in the table, while German drinkers are ranked at number three, consuming an average of 38.6 litres annually. Swedes drink approximately the same quantity of fruit juice as Australians, which is 35.5 litres per year. The Finnish and the British drink 33 and 29.3 litres per year respectively. The graph below shows radio and television audiences throughout the day in 1992. Model answer 1 The graph shows the percentage of audiences over 4 yes old of UK follows the radio and television throughout the day during the period October-December 1992. It has been observed from the graph that less than 10% audiences follows the radio at 6:00 am and the percentage raised to a pick around 30% at 8′AM and decline gradually to around 10% during the period 2′00 to 4′00 Pm and again raised a bi t to around 12% between 4′00 to 6′00 PM. It then again dropped to below 10% at around 10′PM. The rate again raised to a bit between 10′00 PM to 12′00 PM and then dropped slowly by 4′00 AM. On the other hand, the rate of television audiences raises 0-10% during the period 6′00 to 8′00 am and remain steady up to 1 0′AM and then gradually goes down by 12′00 noon. The percentage raised dramatically to around 15% by 2′00 noon. The percentage raised dramatically goes down by 12′00 noon. The percentage raised dramatically to around 15% by 2′00 PM which again raised to a pick above 40% between 6′00-8′00 PM and then gradually dropped between the period 12′00 PM to 4′00 AM. (197 words) EXAMINER’S EXPLANATION Band 6 “The answer has an appropriate introduction which the candidate has attempted to express in his/her own words. There is good coverage of the data and a brief reference to contrasting trends. The answer can be followed although it is rather repetitive and cohesive devices are overused. In order to gain a higher mark for content, the candidate would be expected to select the salient features of the graph and comment primarily on these. Sentences are long but lack complexity. There are some errors in tense, verb form and spelling which interfere slightly with the flow of the answer.” Model answer 2 The blue graph shows the television audiences throughout the day. It shows that the percentage of audiences is three percent in early morning but it gradually rises unto ten percent at 8:00 am and maintains the same for the next two hours. There is a slight fall in percentage in next two hours however after that it raises sharp unto twenty percent within the next two hours. After this the graph rises very fast and attains its peak at 10 pm which is about forty five percent. The graph gradually falls down and at 2:00 am it is at five percent. The red graph shows the percentage for radio audiences. Unlike the television one the peak percentage of the radio audiences is at 8:00 am which is about 30 percent. Then it gradually falls and it corresponds with the television one at two pm. After that it gradually falls but with a small increase in percentage at 4:30 to 6:00 pm. The percentage of audience then gradually goes down and at four AM it is the lowest which is near 2 percent. These graphs prove the progressive popularity of television. (191 words) EXAMINER’S EXPLANATION Band 7 “The answer deals well with both the individual media trends and the overall comparison of these trends. The opening could be more fully developed with the inclusion of information relating to the groups studied and the period of time during which the study took place. There is a good variety of cohesive devices and the message can be followed quite easily although the expression is sometimes a little clumsy. Structures are complex and vocabulary is varied but there are errors in word forms, tense and voice though these do not impede communication.” The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying fulltime or part-time. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer 1 The bar chart illustrates how many males and females have studied in full-time and part-time education in the following years: 1970 to 1971, 1980 to 1981 and 1990 to 1991. It is clear that in all three time periods more people of both sexes were involved in part-time education than fulltime. Overall the number of men in fulltime education rose from approximately 100 thousand to 200 thousand, whereas the number of men in part-time education was lower in the early nineties than twenty years earlier. As far as women are concerned, the numbers increased in both sectors of education. The number of part-time female students increased dramatically from 700 thousand to 1.2 million in the twenty year period. The amount of women in fulltime education went up more gradually from 100 thousand in 1971 to just over 200 thousand in 1991. This was similar the increase for fulltime male students. To sum up, the number of women in both sectors increased significantly while it seems that the rate of men entering part-time education decreased a little and was fluctuating. (179 words) Model answer 2 This is a bar chart of the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods. In 1970, Most of Men were studying part-time but from 1980, studying part-time as decreased and studying full-time was increased and in 1990, it was twice as many students as in 1970. On the other hand, Women studying Full-time were increased and not only Full-time, part-time also were increased. In 1990, studying full-time was three times as many students as in 1970. If compare Men and Women, as you see, in 1970, Men were studying more than women full-time or part-time but it changed from 1980 and then, in 1990, Women were studying part-time more than Men and studying full-time was same number. It shows you women has a high education now. (132 words) EXAMINER’S EXPLANATION Band 5 “The length of the answer is just acceptable. There is a good attempt to describe the overall trends but the content would have been greatly improved if the candidate had included some reference to the figures given on the graph. Without these, the reader is lacking some important information. The answer is quite difficult to follow and there are some punctuation errors that cause confusion. The structures are fairly simple and efforts to produce more complex sentences are not successful.” Model answer 3 According to this graph, the number of men and women in farther education in Britain shows that following pattern. In the case of male, the number of male has declined slightly from about 100 thousands in 1970/71 to about 850 thousands in 1990/91. However, this figure rose back to about 850 thousands in 1990/91 from about 820 thousands in 1980/81. The proportion of full-time education has declined during this period. However, the proportion of part-time education has increased dramatically. On the other hand, in the case of female, the number of both full-time education and part-time education has increased during the period. From about 700 thousands in 1970/71, these figures rose to about 820 thousands in 1980/81, to about 1100 thousands in 1990/91. In terms of full-time education, this figure rose by about 260 to about 900 in 1990/91. On the other hand, with respect to part-time education, this figure rose dramatically between 1980/81 and 1970/71. However this figure rose slightly between 1980/81 and 1990/91. (165 words) EXAMINER’S EXPLANATION Band 6 “The candidate has made a good attempt to describe the graphs looking at global trends and more detailed figures. There is, however, some information missing and the information is inaccurate in minor areas. The answer flows quite smoothly although connectives are overused or inappropriate, and some of the points do not link up well. The grammatical accuracy is quite good and the language used to describe the trends is well-handled. However, there are problems with expression and the appropriate choice of words and whilst there is good structural control, the complexity and variation in the sentences are limited.” The chart below shows the proportions of the world’s oil resources held in different areas, together with the proportions consumed annually in the same areas. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Model answer The charts shows the oil resources held, together with the proportions consumed within the same area each year, in different areas of the world. It is obvious that the region holding the most oil resources is the Middle East, with 56.52%, over a half of total world oil resources while in the United States and Asia, the level of oil consumed each year is for more away from the oil resources they hold. The percentage of total world oil consumption of United States and Asia are 25.48% and 26.21% respectively. They are the highest oil consumption region in the world. Another place that is worth mentioned will be the Western Europe. With about twenty percent of total world oil consumption, the Western Europe merely holds less than 1.5% of the oil resources in the World. Regions that are not mentioned above have the close percentage between oil holding and consuming whereas Canada has the highest level of oil holding than consuming, the respective figures are 14.84% and 2.48%. Overall, the charts suggest that Middle East is the only majority at oil resources held, while Asia, United States and western have the highest level at oil resources imported. (197 words) EXAMINER’S EXPLANATION Band 5.5 “This response describes the main points of the bar graphs and provides a summary of their most significant features. However, the figures are not well selected to support or highlight the key features, there are some minor inaccuracies, and details are missing, with only half of the countries on the graphs being mentioned. There is an overall progression to the response, though the middle section could have been structured more clearly and coherently by use of linkers. There are no errors in spelling, but this accuracy is achieved by staying within a limited range of vocabulary, and by relying on repetition of the phrases supplied on the question paper. Grammatical errors occur but are not frequent or serious enough to affect communication, and there is a range of sentence types which includes some complex structures.” The chart shows the division of household tasks by gender in Great Britain. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Source: Office for National Statistics on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Study these three sentences and then write three similar sentences about other parts of the chart. 1) Women spend over twice as much time doing kitchen tasks as men. 2) Men spend 30 minutes a day doing kitchen tasks whereas / while women spend 74 minutes a day. 3) Women are more active in the kitchen than men (74 minutes a day for women as opposed to 30 minutes for men). Sample Report Look at the following sample answer to the writing task. Write a word in each space. The chart shows the average number of minutes per day men and women in Great Britain spend on jobs around the house. In total, men spend just .................... two-and-a-half hours on household tasks whereas women spend slightly .................... than four hours. Women spend more than .................... as much time doing kitchen tasks such as cooking and washing up .................... men (74 minutes for women as opposed .................... 30 minutes for men. Women are also more active in cleaning the house- it takes 58 minutes of their day compared .................... 13 minutes for men - and childcare, where women put in more than twice as .................... time as men. On the other hand, men are .................... active in gardening and pet care, where they spend twice as .................... as women, and maintenance and DIY, on which they spend 15 minutes more.................... women. Women account for almost all the time spent on washing and ironing clothes. This takes them 25 minutes, .................... men spend just 2 minutes on this task. Overall the figures show that women spend more time on routine domestic chores than men,.................... men do more household maintenance, gardening and pet care. The chart shows student expenditure over a three-year period in the United Kingdom. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Student expenditure (aged under 26 in higher education) United Kingdom* Percentage of total expenditure (1) includes non-essential consumer items and credit repayments * Source: Student Income and Expenditure Survey. Department for Education and Employment. Study these three sentences and then write three similar sentences about other parts of the chart. 1) During the period 1996 to 1999, student spent 3% less on accommodation, which fell from 23% to 20% of total expenditure. 2) There was a 3% decrease in spending on accommodation, which fell from 23% to 20%. 3) Spending on accommodation went down by 3% from 23% to 20%. Using prepositions Complete the following sample report by putting a preposition in each space. The chart shows the changes which took place .................... student spending in the United Kingdom .................... the three-year period from 1996 to 1999. Students spent 3% less on accommodation, which fell .................... 23% .................... 20% of total expenditure, and there was a 2% decrease .................... spending on food, bills and household goods, which fell from 20% to 18%. At the same time course expenditure went down.................... 3% from 10% to 7%. Children, who constituted 1% .................... students' expenditure in 1996, are not represented in 1999. On the other hand, there was a 5% growth .................... spending on entertainment, which stood.................... 26% of total expenditure in 1996 but rose .................... 31% in 1999. Spending on other non-essential items and credit repayments grew .................... 4% to make ....................16% of total expenditure. Spending on essential travel went up .................... 3% while non-essential travel underwent a 1% fall. Overall, with the exception of expenditure .................... travel, the most significant general change was a shift .................... spending on essential items .................... spending on non-essential items. The two graphs show the main sources of energy in the USA in the 1980s and the 1990s. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the changes which occurred. Model answer The two graphs show that oil was the major energy source in the USA in both 1980 and 1990 and that coal, natural gas and hydroelectric power remained in much the same proportions. On the other hand, there was a dramatic rise in nuclear power, which doubled its percentage over the ten years. Oil supplied the largest percentage of energy, although the percentage decreased from 42% in 1980 to 33% in 1990. Coal in 1990 was the second largest source of energy, increasing its proportion to 27% from 22% in the previous decade. Natural gas, the second largest source in 1980 at 26%, decreased its share very slightly to provide 25% of America’s energy ten years later. There was no change in the percentage supplied by hydroelectric power which remained at 5% of the total energy used. Nuclear power the greatest change: in 1990 it was 10%, twice that of the 1980s. The graph below shows the differences in wheat exports over three different areas. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. Model answer The three graphs of wheat exports each show a quite different pattern between 1985 and 1990. Exports from Australia declined over the five-year period, while the Canadian market fluctuated considerably, and the European Community showed an increase. In 1985, Australia exported about 15 millions of tonnes of wheat and the following year the number increased by one million tonnes to 16 million. After that, however, there was a gradual decline until 1989 and 1990 when it stabilised at about 11 million tonnes. Over the same period, the amount of Canadian exports varied greatly. It started at 19 million tonnes in 1985, reached a peak in 1988 of 24 million, dropped dramatically in 1989 to 14 million tonnes and then climbed back to 19 million in 1990. Seventeen million tonnes were exported from the European Community in 1985, but this decreased to 14 million tonnes in 1986 and then rose to 15 million in 1987 and 1988 before increasing once more to 20 million in 1990. The flowchart illustrates the production of coloured plastic paper clips in a small factory. Write a report for a university tutor describing the production process. Write at least 150 words. Model answer There are four main stages in the production of plastic paper clips from this small factory. Two of these stages involve actual preparation of the clips, while the other two consist of quality control before the clips are sent out from the factory to the retailers to be sold to the public. To begin with, molten plastic is poured into three different moulds depending on the colour required; the colours are red, blue and yellow. Once these clips emerge from the moulds a quality control machine checks them for strength. Unsatisfactory clips are rejected. In the third stage in the process the clips are stored by hand into two groups, mixed and single colours. When this stage is complete the groups are checked a second time to ensure that the colour mixtures are divided correctly into single colours and mixed colour batches. Finally, the clips are packed and dispatched to the markets. The table below gives information about Favorite Pastimes in different countries. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. From 30 - 50 years old TV Sport Reading Hobbies Music Beach Sleep Canada 60 22 15 40 3 0 2 France / / 30 20 4 / / England / / 30 21 4 / 20 Australia 65 30 15 45 5 30 4 Korea 22 21 60 45 2 2 4 China 15 25 60 50 0 5 5 USA 60 23 15 42 23 30 2 Japan / / 62 / / / / Model answer This table clearly presents and compares favorable pastimes in eight different countries. The pastimes, across the top of the table, are analyzed in relation to each country. As can be seen, about 60% of Canadians, Australians and Americans like watching television. On the other hand, this figure is quite low for China where only 15% of people watch television. Predictably, Americans like music at 23%, whereas only 2 to 5% of people in the other countries feel the same way. 20% of people in England enjoy sleeping as a pastime whereas in Canada and the USA, for example, the figure is only 2%. Interestingly, the Chinese like hobbies the most at 50%, as opposed to only 20% in France. It isn’t surprising that the highest percentage of beach-lovers is in Australia and the USA at 30%. It seems that pastimes of people of different nationalities may be influenced by a number of factors such as the socio-economic situation or the climate. These factors influence cultural differences between different nationalities and make cross-cultural experiences more interesting. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. model answer: In this analysis we will examine three pie charts. The first one is headed ‘World Spending.’ The second is ‘World Population’ and the third is ‘Consumption of Resources.’ In the first chart we can see that people spend most of their income (24%) on food. In some countries this percentage would obviously be much higher. Transport and then housing are the next major expenses at 18% and 12% respectively. Only 6% of income is spent on clothing. In the second chart entitled ‘World Population’, it is not surprising to find that 57% of people live in Asia. In fact China and India are two of the most populated countries in the world and they are both situated on this continent. Europe and the Americans account for nearly 30% of the total, whilst 10% of people live in Africa. Finally, the third chart reveals that the USA and Europe consume a huge 60% of the world’s resource. To sum up, the major expenditure is on food, the population figures are the highest for Asia and the major consumers are the USA and Europe. The graph and table below give information about water use worldwide and water consumption in two different countries. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Country Population Irrigated land Water consumption per person Brazil 176 million 26,500 km² 359 m³ Democrati c Republic of Congo 5.2 million 100 km² 8 m³ Model answer The graph shows how the amount of water used worldwide changed between 1900 and 2000. Throughout the century, the largest quantity of water was used for agricultural Purposes, and this increased dramatically from about 500 km³ to around 3,000 km³ in the year 2000. Water used in the industrial and domestic sectors also increased, but consumption was minimal until mid-century. From 1950 onwards, industrial use grew steadily to just over 1,000 km³, while domestic use rose more slowly to only 300 km³, both far below the levels of consumption by agriculture. The table illustrates the differences in agriculture consumption in some areas of the world by contrasting the amount of irrigated land in Brazil (26,500 km³) with that in the D.R.C. (100 km²). This means that a huge amount of water is used in agriculture in Brazil, and this is reflected in the figures for water consumption per person: 359 m³ compared with only 8 m³ in the Congo. With a population of 176 million, the figures for Brazil indicate how high agriculture water consumption can be in some countries. The diagram below shows how a central heating system in a house works. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. model answer: This diagram provides an overview of a domestic central heating system. It shows how the tank, boiler and pipes ensure a constant flow of hot waterto both the radiators and the taps. The cold water enters the house and is stored in a water storage tank in the roof. From there ü flows down to the boiler, located on the ground floor of the house. The boiler, which is fuelled by gas or oil, heats up the water as it passes through it. The hot water is then pumped round the house through a system of pipes and flows into the radiators, located in different rooms. The water circulates through the radiators, which have small tubes inside them to help distribute the heat, and this warms each of the rooms. Some of the water is directed to the taps to provide hot water for the house. Once the water has been through the pipes and radiators, it is returned to the boiler to be re-heated and circulated round the house again. Introduction: First sentence. Overview: Second sentence. Key features: Entry of cold water into boiler; circulation of hot waterto radiators and taps; return of waterto boiler. Supporting information: direction of flow; types of boiler; location of radiators; radiator tubes Paragraph breaks: The paragraph breaks mark stages in the process. Linkers: and, from there, then, once, again Reference words: it, both, there, which, this Topic vocabulary: enters, stored, roof, flows, ground floor, located, passes, pumped, system, circulates, heat, directed, returned, re-heated Less common vocabulary: ensure, fuelled by, heats up, distribute the heat, warms Structures: An appropriate mix of active and passive structures and a range of sentence types are used. The graph below gives information about the preferred leisure activities of Australian children. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown. model answer: The graph shows the preferred leisure sctivities of Australian children aged 5-14. As might be expected, it is clear from the data that sedentary pursuits are far more popular nowadays than active ones. Of the 10,000 children that were interviewed, all the boys and girls stated that they enjoyed watching TV or videos in their spare time. In addition, the second most popular activity, attracting 80% of boys and 60% of girls, was playing electronic or computer games. While girls rated activities such as art and craft highly – just under 60% stated that they enjoyed these in their spare time – only 35% of boys opted for creative pastimes. Bike riding, on the other hand, was almost as popular as electronic games amongst boys and, perhaps surprisingly, almost 60% of girls said that they enjoyed this too. Skateboarding was relatively less popular amongst both boys and girls, although it still attracted 35% of boys and 25% of girls. The table below provide information on rental charges and salaries in three areas of London. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. Weekly rents per property (£/w) Salaries needed (£/year) Area Notting Hill Regent's Park Fulham 1 bed 2 bed 485 450 390 3 bed 738 650 600 1 bed 98,500 85,500 56,500 2 bed 127,500 118,000 102,500 3 bed 194,000 170,500 157,500 Model answer The table shows two sets of related information: the relative cost, in pounds, of renting a property with one, two or three bedrooms in three different suburbs of London and an indication of the kind of annual salary you would need to be earning to rent in these areas. Of the three areas mentioned, Notting Hill is the most expensive with weekly rents starting at £375 (salary approximately £100,000) and rising to £738 per week for a 3-bedroom property. To afford this, you would require a salary in the region of £200,000 per annum. Alternatively, Fulham is the cheapest area shown with rents ranging from £215 per week for a one bedroom property to £600 per week for a 3-bedroom property. To rent in this area, salaries need to be somewhere between £85,000 and £170,000 depending on the number of bedrooms required. For those able to pay in the middle price range for accommodation, Regent's Park might be a more suitable district. The diagrams below give information about the Eiffel Tower in Paris and an outline project to extend it underground. model answer: The Eiffel Tower is situated close to the Seine River in Paris. It is a metal structure that is 1,063 feet high and weighs 7,417 tonnes. The tower has been a tourist attraction since 1889, when it was built, and there are 1,665 steps that can be climbed in order to reach the two viewing platforms. There are now plans to build below the foundations of the tower. These plans include the development of five underground levels that will incorporate the tower's ticket office, shopping facilities, a cinema and museum and two floors of underground parking. Although details have yet to be finalised, the principle is that the five floors will be connected by two vertical passenger lifts on either side of the tower. In addition, the floor immediately below the tower, which is planned to house the ticket office, will also consist of a large atrium with a glass ceiling so that visitors can look directly up at the tower itself. The diagram below gives the information about the Hawaiian island chain in the centre of the Pacific Ocean. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown. model answer: The Hawaiian island chain, in the centre of the Pacific Ocean, is approximately 2,700 km in length. It is formed of volcanoes and the active ones are at the south-east tip of the archipelago, where Hawaii itself is located. It is believed that the chain began to form nearly 80 million years ago. Each island started to evolve after an eruption on the sea floor. First, a `hot spot' existed on the ocean bed, which let out a plume of material called magma. This magma may originate as deep as 2,883km below the ocean bed. Next, further eruptions took place, which built up the volcano. Eventually, it emerged above the surface of the ocean. Since that time, the spume of magma has remained static as the Pacific tectonic plate moves in a north- west direction across it at a speed of 7-9cm per year. As it moves, a volcano forms as it passes over the hotspot and then become inactive when it has passed it. The bar chart below shows the results of a survey conducted by a personnel department at a major company. The survey was carried out on two groups of workers: those aged from 18-30 and those aged 45-60, and shows factors affecting their work performance. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. model answer: The bar chart indicates a survey on two different age groups on the factors contributing to make their environment pleasant for working. These factors are divided into external and internal factors. The internal factors are team spirit, competent boss, respect from colleagues and job satisfaction. The external factors are chance for personal development, job security, promotional prospects and money. On the internal factors above 50% in both age groups agreed that team spirit, competent boss and job satisfaction are essential to make their environment pleasant. Whereas on the external factors, there are contrasting results. On the chance for personal development and promotional aspects, 80% to 90% of the younger groups were in favor while only less than 50% of the older group thought so. A similar pattern is also noted on job security. With regards to money, 69% to 70% on both age group said it is essential. In conclusion, the internal factors have similar responses from the two age groups while they had dissimilar responses on the external factors. This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7 score. Here is the examiner's comment: The information contained in the bar chart has been described accurately and concisely and follows a clear progression. There is a clear introduction followed by effective comparisons between the age groups and a valid conclusion. Good formulaic phrases (the bar chart indicates, these factors are divided), although the candidate uses the same language to describe the factors in the bar chart and does not attempt to rephrase them in any way. The graph below compares the number of visits to two new music sites on the web. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. model answer 1: The graph shows the number of hits to two new music sites on the web, measured in thousands over a period of fifteen days. As far as Music Choice is concerned, the number of visits to the Site fluctuated between 20,000 and 40,000 in the first eleven days, except for Day 3 when they reached 60,000. By contrast, visits to the Pop Parade Site fell erratically from approximately 120,000 hits on Day 1 to around 40,000 on Day 7. Between days 11 and 15 visits to Music Choice fluctuated dramatically, hitting a peak of over 120,000 on Day 14. Despite a drop to less than 40,000 hits, Pop Parade Saw a huge increase in the number of hits between Days 9 and 11, reaching a total of over 150,000 hits on Day 11. At the end of the fifteen- day period the number of hits to Pop Parade peaked at around 170,00, whereas those for Music Choice Showed a marked decline to around 70,000. (163 words) model answer 2: The graph shows people using new music places on the Internet in fifteen days period of time namely personal choice and trendy pop music. The overall trend shows fluctuation with slight Increased towards the end of the period. Starting with Music Choice websites; 40,000 poeple went on this new site on first-day. Half of them backed out the next day. In Contrast to this Pop Parade net sites were visited by 120,000 music lovers on day one which decreased slightly on the next day thereafter regaining the same fame on 3rd day. After 3rd day the enthusiasm for both music lines on Internet dropped slowly- reaching maximum fall of 40,000 on 7th day. Whereas Music choice gained popularity, slightly Improoving to get the original strength of 30,000 viewers on screen, but was getting still less visiters than their opponent Pop group i.e. 40,000 on day 7. In the biegining of the next week both gained remarkable recovery after a few fluctuations for 8th and 9th day having 40,000 and 50,000 visiters respectively, reaching to their peaks of one and a half thousand new viewers for Pop Parade on 11th day showing a contrast of very few people visiting Music choice for the same day. Thereafter Music choice gained popularity on 12th day for having more than 120,000 new visiters on web. In the end of the period Pop sites were visited by maximum viewers of 180,000 whereas sites located to Music choice were not explored by more than 80,000 explorers on the last day of the report. This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 6 score. Here is the examiner's comment: Well organized with some good linking devices and collocations (gain popularity, remarkable recovery, decrease slightly) and some valid comparison of the music sites. However, some sentences are long and confusing (paragraph 5), some collocations are inaccurate (slight increased, reaching to their peaks) and there is some repetition (7th day, 3rd day, 11 th day). Some words are spelt incorrectly (poeple, Improoving, visiters, biegining). The table below shows the proportion of different categories of families living in poverty in Australia in 1999. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. You should write at least 150 words. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Family type single aged person aged couple single, no children couple, no children sole parent couple with children all households Proportion of people from each household type living in poverty 6% (54,000) 4% (48,000) 19% (359,000) 7% (211,000) 21% (232,000) 12% (933,000) 11% (1,837,000) Model answer The table gives a breakdown of the different type of family who were living in poverty in Australia in 1999. On average, 11% of all households, comprising almost two million people, were in this position. However, those consisting of only one parent or a single adult had almost doubt this proportion of poor people, with 21% and 19% respectively. Couples generally tended to be better off, with lower poverty levels for couples without children (7%) than those with children (12%). It is noticeable that for both types of household with children, a higher than average proportion were living in poverty at this time. Older people were generally less likely to be poor, though once again the trend favoured eldery couples (only 4%) rather than single eldery people (6%). Overall the table suggests that households of single adults and those with children were more likely to be living in poverty than those consisting of couples. The take below gives information about the underground railway systems in six cities. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Underground Railways Systems Date opened Kilometres of route Passengers per year (in millions) London 1863 394 775 Paris 1900 199 1191 Tokyo 1927 155 1927 Washington DC 1976 126 144 Kyoto 1981 11 45 Los Angeles 2001 28 50 City Model answer The table shows the details regarding the underground railway systems in six cities. London has the oldest underground railway systems among the six cities. It was opened in the year 1863, and it is already lye years old. Paris is the second oldest, in which it was opened in the year 1900. This was then followed by the opening of the railway systems in Tokyo, Washington DC and Kyoto. Los Angeles has the newest underground railway system, and was only opened in the year 2001. In terms of the size of the railway systems, London, For certain, has the largest underground railway systems. It has 394 kilometres of route in total, which is nearly twice as large as the system in Paris. Kyoto, in contrast, has the smallest system. It only has 11 kilometres of route, which is more than 30 times less than that of London. Interestingly, Tokyo, which only has 155 kilometres of route, serves the greatest number of passengers per year, at 1927 millions passengers. The system in Paris has the second greatest number of passengers, at 1191 millions passengers per year. The smallest underground railway system, Kyoto, serves the smallest number of passengers per year as predicted. In conclusion, the underground railway systems in different cities vary a lot in the site of the system, the number of passengers served per year and in the age of the system. (233 words) Examiners comment This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7 score. This answer selects and describes the information well. Key features are clearly identified, while unexpected differences are highlighted and illustrated. The answer is relevant and accurate with a clear overview. Information is well-organised using a good range of signals and link words. These are generally accurate and appropriate, although occasional errors occur. The writer successfully uses some less common words. There is a clear awareness of style but there are occasional inaccuracies and there is some repetition. Grammar is well-controlled and sentences are varied and generally accurate with only minor errors. The charts below show the percentage of their food budget the average family spent on restaurant meals in different years. The graph shows the number of meals eaten in fast food restaurants and sitdown restaurants. model answer: Over the past 30 years, the average family has dramatically increased the number of meals that they eat at restaurants. The percentage of the family's food budget spent on restaurant meals steadily climbed. Just 10 percent of the food budget was spent on restaurant meals in 1970, and 15 percent in 1980. That percentage more than doubled in 1990, to 35 percent, and rose again in 2000 to 50 percent. Where families eat their restaurant meals also changed during that 30-year period. In 1970, families ate the same number of meals at fast food and sit-down restaurants. In 1980, fam¬ilies ate slightly more frequently at sit-down restaurants. However, since 1990, fast food restaurants serve more meals to the families than do the sit-down restaurants. Most of the restaurant meals from 2000 were eaten at fast food restaurants. If this pattern continues, eventually the number of meals that families eat at fast food restaurants could double the number of meals they eat at sit-down restaurants. The map below is of the town of Garlsdon. A new supermarket (S) is planned for the town. The map shows two possible sites for the supermarket. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. model answer: The first potential location (S1) is outside the town itself, and is sited just off the main road to the town of Hindon, lying 12 kms to the north-west. This site is in the countryside and so would be able to accommodate a lot of car parking. This would make it accessable to shoppers from both Hindon and Garlsdon who could travel by car. As it is also close to the railway line linking the who towns to Cransdon (25 km to the south-east), a potentially large number of shoppers would also be able to travel by train. In contrast, the suggested location, S2, is right in the town centre, which would be good for local residents. Theorically the store could be accessed by road or rail from the surrounding towns, including Bransdon, but as the central area is a no-traffic zone, cars would be unable to park and access would be difficult. Overall, neither site is appropriate for all the towns, but for customers in Cransdon, Hindon and Garlsdon, the out-of-town site (S1) would probably offer more advantages. The Bar Chart shows CO2 emissions for different forms of transport in the European Union. The Pie Chart shows the percentage of European Union funds being spent on different forms of transport. model answer: The chart shows CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre for variuos methods of transport in the European Union while the pie chart shows European Union spending on transport. Flying by air produces by far the greatest CO2 emissions, approximately three times as much as passenger cars which are the next largest producers. Very little is spent by the EU on air travel while roads make up more than half of the EU transport budget. Trains produce about three times less CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre than passenger cars and eight times less than air travel. Nearly a third of EU transport funds are spent on railways. Ships are a clean form of transport and produce about the same amount of CO2 per passenger kilometre as trains do. However, only 2 percent of EU funds are spent on ports. A further one percent is spent on inland waterways. Coaches are the cleanest form of transport. Emissions of CO2 per passenger kilometre from coaches are half those of buses. Buses emit less than half as much CO2 per passenger kilometre as cars. The European Union spends 10 percent of its transport budget on public transport, such as buses and coaches. The flowchart below shows the process involved in completing the work experience requirement for university students. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Fulfilling the Work Experience Requirement Credits will be awarded when the final report is submitted. Application Choose potential workplaces from approved list and arrange interviews. Submit applications to places of interest. Approval When acceptance letter is received, submit it to professor for approval. Schedule Arrange schedule to work a minimum of 10 hours/ week over 20 weeks. Reports Complete weekly Report Form and submit to professor every Friday. Evaluation During final workweek, participate in evaluation meeting with work supervisor. Supervisor submits Evaluation Form. Final Report Submit Final Report before last week of spring term. model answer: Gaining work experience prior to graduation helps university students to succeed in getting their first job. For this reason, some universities insist that all students must complete a Work Experience Requirement. Completing the following six stages results in the requirements’ fulfillment. The process begins with the Application stage. A student reviews an approved list of workplaces and submits applications to places where he would like to work. Next is the Approval stage. When a student receives an acceptance letter, he gives it to the professor for approval. The third stage, Schedule, requires a student to arrange his work schedule. The student should work at least 10 hours/week over 20 weeks. Reports are next. The student must complete a Weekly Report Form and turn it in to the professor every Friday. The fifth stage, Evaluation, takes place during the final work week. A student participates in an evaluation meeting with his work supervisor, who submits an Evaluation Form. The last stage requires that a student submit a Final Report before the last week of spring semester. By following these stages and subsequently submitting the final report, the student receives credit from the university. The table below shows the sales at a small restaurant in a downtown business district. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Sales: week of October 7-13 Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun . Lunch $2,400 $2,450 $2,595 $2,375 $2,500 $1,950 $1,5 50 Dinner $3,623 $3,850 $3,445 $3,800 $4,350 $2,900 $2,4 50 Model answer The sales at this small restaurant during the week of October 7 to 13th followed a fairly set pattern from Monday to Friday, and then showed notable shift on the weekend. The lunch and dinner sales during the week peaked on Friday and then dipper down as the weekend set in. During the week of October 7-14th, the lunch sales averaged at approximately $2,400. The highest lunch sales occurred on Friday, and the lowest occurred on Sunday. Sunday's lunch sales were approximately $1,000 less than the average lunch sales during the rest of the week. Dinner sales, which generated at least $1,000 to $1,500 more a day than lunch sales, also remained steady during the week. Just like the lunch sales, the dinner sales peak on Friday and dipped down for the weekend. Excluding Wednesday and Thursday, the lunch and dinner sales from October 7-11 rose gradually until the end of the business week. Midweek, on Wednesday and Thursday, the sales were slightly lower than they were on Tuesday. According to the sales report, this restaurant has a steady lunch and dinner crowd. The most profitable day during the second week of October was Friday. Sunday, was the least profitable day, with the full day's sales totaling/totalling less than the Friday dinner sales. These numbers are reflective of a restaurant that is located in a business/financial district where business hours are Monday through Friday. In June 1996, an experimental flu vaccine was trialled in a large country town on females only. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. model answer: The diagrams show data for a flu epidemic which hit a large country town in 1996. Figure 1 gives the number of persons who died; Figure 2 shows the percentage breakdown of females who received a new flu vaccine; and Figure 3 gives the number of cases of flu before and during the epidemic. In Figure 1 it can be seen that the flu was responsible for the deaths of 2 females but no males in the period from March to May. However, from June to August, there were 4 female deaths and 1 male death. According to the pie chart in Figure 2, only those females most at risk were given the new flu vaccine; 28% did not take part in the trial. Of those females who took part, 35% were aged (over 65 years old); 24% were babies or children; and 13% were either hospitalised or receiving other medical attention. From Figure 3 it is clear that the new vaccine had a positive effect on the number of new cases of flu reported in females. There were just over 1000 cases reported in March, climbing rapidly to a peak of 3500 in June. Thereafter, the number of cases dropped slowly to about 2800 in August, before levelling off at 2500 for the rest of the year. For males, the figures were lower but showed a similar trend throughout the epidemic. The chart below shows estimated world literacy rates by region and by gender for the year 2000. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below. model answer: In this report I will describe a bar chart that shows the estimated world illiteracy rates by gender and region for the year 2000. First I will look at male illiteracy for the 6 areas shown. The lowest rates were in Developed Countries, Latin America/Caribbean and East Asia/Oceania with rates of 1% (approximately), 10% and 8% (approximately) respectively. The rates for the next three areas were much higher and quite similar to each other. Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab States and South Asia had rates of approximately 31%, 29% and 34%. Female illiteracy was much higher relatively in each area except Latin America/Caribbean where it was only slightly higher. The lowest rates for female illiteracy were again Developed Countries, Latin America/Caribbean and East Asia/Oceania with rates of approximately 2%, 12% and 20%. Again the rates for the next three areas were much higher and quite similar to each other. Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab States and South Asia had rates of approximately 48%, 52% and 56%. This ends my report. The chart shows the number of mobile phones and landlines per 100 people in selected countries. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information given. model answer: The graph shows the number of mobile phones and landlines per 100 users, for selected countries. Overall, most of the countries included in the graph have more mobile phones subscribers than landlines. Most European countries have high mobile phone use. The biggest users of mobile phones are the Italians, with 88 cell phones per 100 people. For example, Italy has twice as many mobile phones as landlines, with 88 mobiles per hundred people compared to 45 for landlines. Mobile phone use is low in Canada, with fewer than 40 phones per 100 people. Denmark is also unusual because it has slightly more landlines than mobile phones. However, in some countries, the number of landlines is higher than the number of mobile phones. One example is the USA, where the number of mobiles, at 50 per 100 people, is much lower than the number of landlines, at almost 70 per hundred. A similar pattern can be seen in Canada. The highest number of landlines in the graph is in Denmark, with about 90 per 100 people. In contrast, the lowest figures for fixed lines are in Italy and the UK. In conclusion, it seems that mobile phone use is higher in Europe than in North America. The graphs show enrolment in different colleges in the Higher Colleges of Technology in 1999. Write a total of 150 - 200 words about the information in the three graphs. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information given. model answer: The charts shows student enrolment by gender and level in different colleges of the Higher Colleges of Technology colleges in the UAE. There are clear differences in male and female enrolment. Females outnumber men in all the colleges, with almost 25% more students in Dubai Women's college than in Dubai Men's. Ras Al-Khaimah Women's College has almost 180 students, compared to only 100 in the Men's college. Females also outnumber males by level, with almost double the number of men at Higher Diploma level (330 compared to 181). Only at Diploma level does the number of men slightly exceed that of women. Over half the students are in Certificate level, with less than a quarter at Higher Diploma or Bachelor level. In conclusion, most students in the Higher Colleges are enrolled at Diploma level or below, and the majority of students are women. [...]... between 19 85 and 19 93 There were big increases in both areas Health spending stood at about 8% in 19 85 but rose to 9% in 19 90 and 10 % in 19 93 Spending on education was even higher It was 10 % in 19 85, and shot up to 14 % in 19 90 and 15 % in 19 93, a 50% increase in just 8 years Graph 2 shows improvements in life expectancy and infant mortality between 19 70 and 19 92 Life expectancy was just 60 in 19 70 but... 19 60 to 22% in 19 80, but climbing back to reach 25% by 2000 On the other hand, the use of cars increased steadily from just over 5% in 19 60 to 23% in 19 80, reaching almost 40% by 2000, whereas the popularity of buses has declined since 19 60, falling from just under 35% in 19 60 to 27% in 19 80 and only 15 % in 2000 The graph indicates the growing use of cars for commuting to work between 19 60 - 2000, and... achieved by women in Someland across two years, 19 45 and 19 95 It can be clearly seen that women received a much higher level of education in Someland in 19 95 than they did in 19 45 In 19 45 only 30% of women completed their secondary education and 1% went on to a first degree No women had completed post-graduate studies This situation had changed radically by 19 95 In 19 95, 90% of women in Someland had completed... However, the outlay on cars doubled, rising from 23% in 19 66 to 45% in 19 96 Other areas changed significantly Spending on eating out doubled, climbing from 7% to 14 % The proportion of salary spent on computers increased dramatically, up from 1% in 19 96 to 10 % in 19 96 However, as computer expenditure rose, the percentage of outlay on books plunged from 6% to 1% Some areas remained relatively unchanged Americans... separate years: 19 80, 19 90 and 2000 In all three years, the greatest expenditure was on education But while K -12 education saw a fall from 25% in 19 80 to only 18 % of spending in 2000, higher education remained the largest proportion, reaching 45% of total spending in 19 90 and ending at 40% in 2000 Expenditure on health and human resources had increased to 20% by 19 90 before decreasing to only 10 % by the... city in 19 60, 19 80 and 2000 model answer: The graph shows the changing patterns in commuting by train, car, tube or bus for commuters in London in the years 19 60, 19 80 and 2000 The number of people using trains at first rose from just under 20% in 19 60 to about 26% in 19 80, but then fell back to about 23% in 2000 Use of the tube has been relatively stable, falling from around 27% of commuters in 19 60... late 19 80s Hamburger consumption also increased, rising from about 80g in 19 70 to almost 300g in 19 90 Accompanying this change in the choice of foods was an increase in the amount of fast food consumed In 19 70, British consumers ate about 450g a week of fast food In 19 90, on the other hand, this had more than doubled, to 10 00g Model answer 2 The graph shows the amount of fast food eaten between 19 70... in 19 40 Likewise, Yamhill’s population, at around 90,000, was almost triple what it was in 19 40 Although Washington’s increase in population between 19 40 and 19 70 was large, its increase in the following thirty years was even sharper, rising from about 12 5,000 in 19 70 to more than 240,000 in 2000 The graph below shows the amount of money spent on books in Germany, France, Italy and Austria between 19 95... between 19 66 and 19 96 Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below Model answer The pie charts show changes in American spending patterns between 19 66 and 19 96 Food and cars made up the two biggest items of expenditure in both years Together they comprised over half of household spending Food accounted for 44% of spending in 19 66, but this dropped by two thirds to 14 % in 19 96... years 19 60 and 2000 It can be clearly seen that the rate of smoking for both men and women is currently declining and that fewer women have smoked throughout the period In 19 60, 600 men in every 1, 000 was smoking This number decreased gradually to 500 by 19 74 and continued to decrease but more steeply to 250 in 2000 In contrast, the rate of smoking in women in 19 60 was very low at only 80 in every 1, 000 ... expectancy at birth Canada Japan Peru Zaire 11 100 15 760 16 0 13 0 76 78 51 47 Daily calorie supply per person Adult literacy rate (%) 3326 2846 19 27 17 49 99 99 68 34 Model answer A glance at four... between 19 85 and 19 93 There were big increases in both areas Health spending stood at about 8% in 19 85 but rose to 9% in 19 90 and 10 % in 19 93 Spending on education was even higher It was 10 % in 19 85,... shot up to 14 % in 19 90 and 15 % in 19 93, a 50% increase in just years Graph shows improvements in life expectancy and infant mortality between 19 70 and 19 92 Life expectancy was just 60 in 19 70 but