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WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The bar chart below shows estimated world illiteracy rates by region and by gender for the last
year. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.

You should write at least 150 words.

The graphic shows global rates of illiteracy for last year broken down by both gender and area. It is evident that there are
great discrepancies in literacy rates according to both geographic location and sex.

What is most striking when looking at the data is the fact that the burden of illiteracy is disproportionately borne by
women, wherever they hail from. In almost every region on the planet, the number of women who cannot read is
significantly higher than the number of illiterate men; in East Asia and Oceania, as well as in the developed countries, it is
actually double. Only in Latin America and the Caribbean is there little disparity between the genders in literacy rates.

The geographical distribution of education is also plain in this chart. Men everywhere are less likely to be unable to read
and write than women: however, in some parts of the world, extremely significant segments of the whole population are
illiterate. This is most marked in South Asia, the Arab states and Sub-Saharan Africa where approximately half of all women
do not possess literacy skills, a lack they share with a third of all men. In East Asia, a fifth of women and 10% of men are
uneducated in reading and writing.

This is in stark contrast with developed countries, where the proportion of illiterates is truly marginal, even though the
absolute number of women is nevertheless double that of men.

Overall, we can see that there are great differences in educational provision across the globe and that (leaving aside Latin
America and the Caribbean) the lion’s share of illiteracy is given to women.

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WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The bar chart below shows current health expenditure totals as percentages of GDP* for various
European countries for the years 2002, 2007 and 2012. Summarise the information by selecting and
reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

You should write at least 150 words.

* GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is the total value of goods that are made and services that are
provided in a country.

The bar chart shows the percentage of GDP that is spent on healthcare in a number of different European countries over a
ten-year period. It is salient to note that there is great variation between the nation states in terms of expenditure with
high and low levels of spending, as well as increases and decreases over time.

Certain countries can be described as high-spending compared to their peers. Specifically, Switzerland and Belgium spent
the largest proportion over the period with 11 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. This is compared to Lithuania and
Estonia who spent the least (4-5 per cent and 3 per cent). This means Switzerland almost spent 75 per cent more than
Estonia as a percentage of their respective GDPs.

Over the period there was some variation in the percentage of healthcare investment, with increases or decreases of
between 1-2 per cent. For example, Denmark , Poland, Lithuania, Slovenia and Norway all saw increases in spending.
However, France, Netherlands and Luxemburg experienced a fall. The Netherlands was the only country where spending
deviated significantly, dropping from 10 to 8 per cent. By contrast, certain countries saw no change in the money they
allocated to healthcare over the years in question. Spain (8 per cent) and Estonia (3 per cent) and fall into this category.

Overall, the amount of money spent on healthcare differs dramatically between the different countries. Furthermore, it
appears that health care spending fluctuates year upon year in many of the countries surveyed.

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WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The bar chart below shows the number of employed persons by job type and sex for Australia last
year. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.

You should write at least 150 words.

The bar chart gives demographic information for employment sectors and gender in Australia last year.

There were significantly more men than women in management, production - over 400,00 in each case and
800,000 more for tradesperson roles. When looking at management roles proportionally, they were three
times more likely to be filled by men. However, the gap was largest in trade occupations with men ten times
more likely to be doing this kind of work. There was a less sizeable difference for labourers and semi-
professionals but still considerably more men than women. The only sectors in which there were more women
than men were in those of professionals and clerical, with 50,000 and 100,00 more women in each
respectively. However, when looking at the figures you can see that there were still a high number of men who
were employed in these areas.

Overall, we can see that there are more men than women in nearly every sector and even those with a female
majority the figures were close. This means that men make up a disproportionate amount of the Australian
workforce. 180

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WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The bar chart below shows average UK salaries, by city. Summarise the information by selecting and
reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

You should write at least 150 words.

The bar chart shows the average salary for seven different UK cities. When looking at the chart it is clear that
your earning will vary depending on your geographical location.

On average, Londoners earn far more than residents of other cities. However, it is also interesting to note that
other cities in the South of England have disproportionately high remuneration with Cambridge at £29,854 the
second highest followed by Bristol at £27,828

Next highest are the two Scottish cities and again it is the workers in the capital who attract a higher salary
than those in Glasgow with £27,592 and £26,150 respectively. Residents of the cities of Manchester and
Birmingham earn a fairly similar amount and at just over twenty five thousand pounds this is the lowest on the
chart.

Overall, it is clear that in the UK your earning potential is dependent on your location with people living in the
south east and especially the capital earning considerably more. 162

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WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The bar chart shows the percentage of adult male smokers in seven countries along with the world
average in 2000 and 2015. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main
features and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

This bar chart displays information regarding the number of men who smoked in seven countries in
2000 and 2015. This is presented alongside the world mean.

Overall, the world average shows that smoking in men has reduced ten percent from about 45% to
35% over the fifteen-year period and this is reflected in most, but not all, of the individual countries
shown. Egypt and Lebanon, for example, show a ten and fifteen percent increase respectively in
male smoking between 2000 and 2015, making five of the seven countries presented as having a
higher than average number of male smokers in 2015, where only three of the seven; Armenia,
Bangladesh and Cuba were higher in 2000. Despite the noticeable increase in smoking rates in Egypt
and Lebanon, they still do not have as high a proportion of smokers as Armenia and Cuba, where
over half the population smoke.

Most other countries show a decrease in smoking, with Bangladesh showing the greatest reduction,
falling from 65% to 40%, as nearly a quarter of the male population stopped smoking, and Cuba the
lowest at around 2%. Australia and Mexico showed drops in smoking of around a third, reflecting the
worldwide average decrease, although the proportion of men who smoked was around 15% less in
Australia than the world median in both 2000 and 2015. 221

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