Band 8.5 model answer
A model answer written to illustrate a Band 8.5 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 meat consumption per person per year in five countries in 2020.”8.5
Overall
8.5
Task response
9
Coherence & cohesion
8
Lexical resource
9
Grammar
The bar chart shows how much meat was consumed per person per year, in kilograms, in five countries in 2020.
Overall, the USA and Australia dominated the chart with broadly similar and substantially higher consumption than the other three countries. India had by far the lowest figure, consuming only a negligible amount compared with the leading nations.
The USA recorded the highest per capita meat consumption at 124 kg, just ahead of Australia at 121 kg. These two countries were closely matched and well above the remaining three. Brazil came third at 99 kg, which, while lower than the Anglo-American pair, still represented a considerably higher figure than either China or India.
China's consumption stood at 60 kg per person, roughly half that of the USA, while India's figure was just 4 kg per year, the lowest of all five countries by a vast margin. India's consumption was approximately 30 times lower than that of the USA and 15 times lower than China's, indicating an extreme difference driven largely by dietary and cultural factors. The chart therefore presents a clear hierarchical pattern, with the USA and Australia at the top, Brazil in the middle, and China and India well below the global leaders.
- •Overview clearly establishes the top pairing, the middle country, and the extreme outlier at the bottom.
- •Precise ratio comparisons used effectively: 'roughly half', 'approximately 30 times lower', '15 times lower'.
- •Accurate figures for all five countries with well-sequenced ranking discussion.
- •Varied comparative vocabulary: 'well above', 'closely matched', 'considerably higher', 'by a vast margin'.
- •The reference to 'dietary and cultural factors' is a cause, which strictly falls outside Task 1 scope; this phrase should be removed.
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