You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graph below shows the weekly spending of an average family in a European country. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model Answer
The given bar graph compares the expenditure per week of an average family in Europe. It is clear from the graph that the spending on housing and transport increased over a period of two decades whereas the expenditure on all other things decreased or remained the same.
The most striking difference is seen in the money spent on transport which grew almost threefold (11% to 31%) from 1987 to 2007. The expenditure on housing also increased from 15% to 33% which is also a very significant change. It is interesting to note that the expenditure on fuel and power decreased slightly from 18% to 15%. There was a considerable decrease in the spending on tobacco from 7% to 2% which is obviously a good thing. The weekly spending on food also halved from 10% to 5%. However, the spending on other goods and services not mentioned in the graph remained stable at 16%.
Overall, housing and transport became costlier over the period and so people had to spend more on them.