186 words, written by us as a teaching example — not a verified exam script. Read it, then attempt the question yourself.
“The bar chart shows life expectancy at birth in six countries in 2010 and 2020.”Model answer
186 wordsP1The bar chart compares life expectancy at birth in six countries in 2010 and 2020.
P2Overall, life expectancy increased in five of the six countries over the decade, with Japan and Switzerland maintaining the highest figures throughout. Nigeria had by far the lowest life expectancy in both years, while the USA was the only country to record a decline.
P3In 2010, Japan led at 82.84 years, narrowly ahead of Switzerland at 82.25 years. Both countries rose modestly by 2020, reaching 84.56 and 83 years respectively. China showed one of the more notable gains, climbing from 75.67 to 78.02 years, while Brazil increased marginally from 73.78 to 74.51 years.
P4Nigeria's life expectancy, at 51.31 years in 2010 and 53.07 in 2020, remained roughly 30 years below Japan's figures for both periods, highlighting the extreme disparity in the chart. The USA's figure fell from 78.54 years in 2010 to 76.98 years in 2020, a decline of approximately 1.56 years that placed it below China's 2020 figure for the first time. This reversal stands out as a noteworthy feature, given that all other countries moved in the opposite direction.
Write your answer in the exam workspace and see how your four marks compare to the model’s.
Precise figures throughout with natural hedging: 'approximately 1.56 years', 'modestly', 'marginally'.
Now you
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What keeps it from higher
The body could briefly note Switzerland's smaller absolute gain versus Japan's to add one more intra-group comparison.