Band 8 model answer
A model answer written to illustrate a Band 8 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 military spending as a share of GDP in five countries in 2010 and 2020.”8
Overall
8
Task response
8
Coherence & cohesion
8
Lexical resource
8
Grammar
The bar chart illustrates military expenditure as a percentage of GDP in five countries in 2010 and 2020.
Overall, Saudi Arabia recorded the highest military spending share in both years, while China consistently spent the least as a proportion of GDP. Changes over the decade were relatively modest for most countries, though Russia and the USA showed notable directional differences.
Saudi Arabia's spending was 8.57% of GDP in 2010, rising slightly to 8.79% in 2020, confirming its position as the largest military spender relative to its economy. Israel remained the second-highest in both years, though its share fell from 5.79% to 5.28%. Russia's spending increased from 3.65% to 4.14%, overtaking the USA, which declined from 4.9% to 3.65% over the same period.
China's share was the lowest in both years, at 1.73% in 2010 and 1.76% in 2020, a marginal increase that maintained its position at the bottom of the chart. The most significant changes were therefore the USA's fall of 1.25 percentage points and Russia's corresponding rise, which resulted in their positions reversing by 2020. Saudi Arabia's figure was roughly five times China's in both years, underscoring the considerable range across the five countries.
- •Overview captures the consistent leaders and the key crossover event (Russia overtaking the USA) without figures.
- •Accurately notes the USA-Russia reversal and quantifies the USA's decline: 'a fall of 1.25 percentage points'.
- •Saudi Arabia to China ratio comparison: 'roughly five times' adds a strong scale anchor.
- •Well-ordered paragraphs covering the top, middle, and bottom groups in sequence.
- •Could briefly compare Saudi Arabia's absolute change (a rise of only 0.22 percentage points) to highlight how stable it was relative to other countries.
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