Writing Task 1 (Academic Test)
WRITING
Model Answer:
The table below displays data concerning male and female smokers in four countries in various years, starting with 1978. Overall, the percentage of smokers fell dramatically in some countries while increasing significantly in others.
The proportion of men and women who smoked was greatest in Germany and Japan in 1978. In both countries over 70% of men smoked at this time. In the case of Germany a very large number of women also smoked, at 62%, while smoking was less common among Japanese women. Meanwhile, in Indonesia and China, a relatively small proportion of the male population smoked, at 35% and 19.2% respectively. The percentage of female smokers in these countries was extremely small at this time.
By 1998, the percentage of male smokers in Indonesia and China had exploded, reaching 69% and roughly 37% respectively. In Japan and Germany on the other hand, the percentage of smokers had started to fall. This trend continued into 2018, by which time only around a third of German men and women, and Japanese men smoked. In China and Indonesia tobacco products continued to be popular, especially among men, and in the case of China, the percentage of male smokers actually increased to around half of the male population in 2018.
Useful Vocabulary:
dramatically (adverb): a lot, to a large extent
explode (verb): (numbers) to increase a very large amount in a short period of time
meanwhile (adverb): at the same time
smoker (noun [c]): someone who smokes cigarettes
tobacco (noun [u]): a leaf that is commonly dried and smoked
23. Table
The table below shows the percentage of male and female smokers in four countries in 1978, 1998 and 2018.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.