Band 8+: Read the task WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The pie chart shows average monthly student expenditure in the UK in 2016. The bar chart shows sources of student income in the same year. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

The pie chart illustrates the money spent by students on different purposes in a month, while the bar chart describes the proportion of income sources in the UK in 2016.

First of all, students spent £385 on rent, which was the highest among all expenses. Food and ‘other’ expenses were nearly the same in terms of expenditure. There was a small gap between them, of about £33. In addition, the amount of money spent on socialising and bills was quite similar, but travel was the lowest at £52.

By contrast, the percentage of students using loans was the highest, making up about 80%. There was not much difference between family support and part-time jobs, both at nearly 70%. Similarly, the proportion of students relying on savings and bank overdrafts was about 50%. However, the rate of grants and funding was the lowest at 30%, about one-fourth of the highest figure.

Overall, the highest expenditure was on rent, compared to the lowest, which was travel. In terms of income, most students relied on loans, whereas only a small proportion depended on grants and funding.