Band 8+: The bar chart shows the number of heat-related illness suffered by high school students per 100 000 sports events in central US states. The line graph shows the average temperatures for one year in a central US state. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. To zoom in, click on the image.

The provided bar chart and line graph represent the number of illnesses amongst high school students during sports events and the average temperatures for a year in a US state, respectively.

According to the given bar chart, there is a significant rise in August which is the month with most illnesses recorded. The number of sicknesses are almost 5 times higher than the second most reports during a month, which is in September. A decline is observed after August until the end of the year. Unlike the second period of the year, fluctuations are obvious in the first 6 months. No illnesses were recorded during February and May.

The line graph provides insights into the change of temperature for the particular US state. There is a significant increase until July, and a sudden drop starts in August. Comparing the two graphs, the second period of the year shows that there is a correlation between the temperature and the illnesses. However, the curve of temperature in the first part of the year doesn’t align with the reported illnesses. Hence, it would not be accurate to assume that they have a direct connection. Since, the high correlation during the last 6 months of the year cannot be completely discarded, it is safer to say that temperature does have an effect on this illness but not the only reason.