“The bar chart compares government spending on education as a share of GDP in six countries in 2020.”

Rank Sweden, the US, UK, Germany, Japan and Brazil by how much their governments invest in education relative to the size of the economy.

Task 1 · Academic·20 min·≥ 150 words

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The bar chart below shows government expenditure on education, expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product, in six countries in 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

🧠 5-step plan

How to crack it

Open if you want a structure to follow

1
Read the question twice.
Underline every keyword. The instruction word ("agree", "discuss") decides your structure. Get this wrong and you cap at 5.
2
Plan for 5 minutes.
Two body paragraphs. One main idea each. Pick examples BEFORE you write the intro.
3
Write your intro last in your head.
Once you know the conclusion, the intro writes itself. Paraphrase the question, don’t copy it.
4
Aim for 270–290 words.
Less = task incomplete. More = grammar errors. Stay in the pocket.
5
Leave 3 minutes to proofread.
Hunt articles ("a/an/the"), subject-verb agreement, and "make/do" mix-ups. They’re your usual suspects.

⚠️ Examiner watch-outs

What loses you the band

The four traps this question sets

⚠️
Off-topic intro
Paraphrase the question. Don’t broaden it.
⚠️
Conclusion that just repeats
Add one new reason. Or a recommendation.
⚠️
"Make a damage"
Collocation slip. Use "cause damage".
⚠️
"Furthermore. Moreover."
Pick one. Both = robotic.

Model answer

Band 9 · 199 words

The bar chart shows the percentage of gross domestic product that six countries allocated to government education spending in 2020…

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