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 shows life expectancy at birth in six countries in 2010 and 2020.”9
Overall
9
Task response
9
Coherence & cohesion
8
Lexical resource
9
Grammar
The bar chart compares life expectancy at birth in six countries in 2010 and 2020.
Overall, 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.
In 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.
Nigeria'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.
- •Overview identifies the two leaders, the lowest country, and the single country that declined: all key features covered.
- •Accurately flags that the USA fell below China by 2020, a specific and important cross-country finding.
- •Nigeria's 30-year gap from Japan is used to emphasise the chart's most extreme disparity.
- •Precise figures throughout with natural hedging: 'approximately 1.56 years', 'modestly', 'marginally'.
- •The body could briefly note Switzerland's smaller absolute gain versus Japan's to add one more intra-group comparison.
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