Band 9 model answer
A model answer written to illustrate a Band 9 response to this question, with the rubric breakdown and what carries it. Written by us as a teaching example, not a verified exam script.
“The bar chart compares government spending on education as a share of GDP in six countries in 2020.”9
Overall
9
Task response
9
Coherence & cohesion
8.5
Lexical resource
9
Grammar
The bar chart shows the percentage of gross domestic product that six countries allocated to government education spending in 2020.
Overall, Sweden devoted the largest share of its economy to education by a clear margin, while Japan spent the least. The remaining four countries clustered relatively close together in a middle band.
Sweden's spending stood at 7.95% of GDP, making it the clear leader and approximately 4.6 percentage points ahead of Japan, which recorded the lowest figure at 3.31%. Brazil was the second-highest spender at 5.77%, followed closely by Germany at 5.52% and the UK at 5.44%, with the USA only marginally lower at 5.4%. These four countries were therefore separated by fewer than 0.4 percentage points, indicating broadly similar levels of educational investment.
The most notable feature of the chart is the gap at each end of the scale. Sweden's figure was more than a third higher than those of the mid-range group, while Japan's allocation fell well short of every other country shown. The relatively tight clustering of Brazil, Germany, the UK, and the USA suggests a common threshold around 5.4 to 5.8% of GDP, with Sweden and Japan as clear outliers above and below this range.
- •Overview clearly flags the outliers at both ends before the detail is introduced.
- •Accurately identifies the tight four-country cluster and quantifies the range: 'fewer than 0.4 percentage points'.
- •Precise figures used throughout with varied phrasing: 'approximately 4.6 percentage points ahead', 'only marginally lower'.
- •Well-structured body that separates ranking observations from pattern commentary.
- •Could compare Sweden's figure as a ratio to Japan's (roughly 2.4 times as high) to add one more strong comparative expression.
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