Band 9: The charts below show the proportion of people’s total spending on different commodities and services in a particular European country in 1998 and 2008. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

The bar charts compare the proportion of people’s total expenditure on various products and services in a specific European country in the years 1998 and 2008. Overall, while the percentage of expenditure on electronic goods and clothing increased noticeably, with the former reporting the highest change, the reverse was true for holidays, newspapers/magazines, and going to the cinema. Moreover, eating out stood out among other categories in terms of services, with equal figures in both years.

Focusing on the bigger figures first, more people spent money on clothing and electronics. In 1998, clothing and electronic goods comprised 12% and 16% of residents’ spending, respectively. By 2008, 20% had spent on the latter, considerably more than those who spent on the former, at 18%.

In contrast, the percentage of residents’ spending on holidays, newspapers/magazines, and going to the cinema bucked the foregoing trend. Starting from 8% in 1998, those who spent on holidays witnessed the biggest fall to 5%, a 3 percentage-point change. In terms of newspapers/magazines and going to the cinema, they started at the same level at 3% in 1998, and also fell out of favor in similar amounts, both reaching 1% of people’s total expenditure in the final year.

When it comes to eating out, it showed a totally different trajectory compared to its counterparts. The proportion of people who expended on eating out initially was at 6%, and in the last year this was also the case, as it remained similar without any changes (at 6%).