Compare how much each economy directs to defence — Saudi Arabia, Israel, the US, Russia and China.
20 min·≥ 150 words
The bar chart below shows military expenditure, expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product, in five countries in 2010 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
World Bank, MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS (CC BY 4.0)
How to crack it
A 4-step structure for the figure report
Read the axes twice.
Units, time span, and what's being measured. Misread the axis and the whole report is off.
Open with the overview.
The 1–2 biggest trends in one sentence — before any numbers.
Group the data, don't tour it.
Compare movers vs laggards. Describing each series in turn caps you at 6.
Quote exact values.
“Roughly a third” + the precise figure — data is your evidence. No opinions in Task 1.
What loses you the band
The four traps this question sets
No overview
One clear trends sentence is the biggest Task Achievement factor.
Touring every series
Group and compare — a line-by-line tour reads as a list, not a report.
Opinions or causes
Task 1 is report writing. No "because", no recommendations.
Copying the question
Paraphrase the rubric — copied wording doesn't count toward 150.
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