Task 1 · multiple graphs · 18 samples

The charts below show the changes in ownership of electrical appliances and amount of time doing housework and households in one country between 1920 and 2019. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

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Plan your answer

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Ideas to explore

  • Compare the pace of adoption: refrigerator ownership rose especially quickly between 1940 and 1960, while washing-machine ownership changed more gradually.
  • Identify milestones in appliance ownership: refrigerators reached 100% by 1980, and vacuum cleaners did so by 2000.
  • Set the decline in housework hours alongside rising appliance ownership, while avoiding claims that the charts prove one trend caused the other.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce both charts, the measures shown and the 1920–2019 period.
  2. Give an overview of the broad appliance-ownership increases and the fall in housework hours.
  3. Compare the three appliances, highlighting their starting points and the years they reached universal ownership.
  4. Describe the housework-hour decline chronologically, noting the plateau at 15 hours between 1980 and 2000.
Useful vocabulary & examples
household ownership
the proportion of households that have a particular item

Household ownership of refrigerators rose to 100% by 1980.

reach universal ownership
be owned by all households shown in the chart

Vacuum cleaners reached universal ownership in 2000.

edge down
decrease slightly

Washing-machine ownership edged down between 1960 and 1980.

remain at that level
stay unchanged at a previously stated figure

Housework time remained at 15 hours per week from 1980 to 2000.

Sample answers

AI-completed learning example

227 words · Illustrative target band

The provided charts present a compelling depiction of the evolution of electrical appliance ownership and its corresponding impact on the amount of time dedicated to housework within a specific nation from 1920 to 2019. The data reveals a significant correlation between the increased adoption of key household appliances, namely washing machines, refrigerators, and vacuum cleaners, and a marked decline in weekly house…

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AI-completed learning example

213 words · Illustrative target band

The provided line charts illustrate changes in ownership of electrical appliances and time spent on household chores in households of a particular country from 1920 to 2019. Overall, a significant increase in the adoption of electrical appliances like washing machines, refrigerators, and vacuum cleaners can be observed, while there was a notable decline in the amount of time spent on housework. Refrigerator ownership…

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AI-completed learning example

201 words · Illustrative target band

The provided line graphs depict the evolution of household ownership of electrical appliances and the amount of time spent on housework in a particular country from 1920 to 2019. Overall, there was a notable reduction in the time allocated to housework on a weekly basis over the years. Concurrently, the prevalence of all three electric appliances increased, although their patterns differed. In 1920, washing machines …

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