Band 8+: 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 given charts show people’s expenditure on different goods and services in one European country in 1998 and 2008.

Overall, clothing and electronic goods accounted for the largest proportions of spending, with expenditure on both categories increasing in 2008. In contrast, spending on holidays, newspapers/magazines and going to the cinema declined, while expenditure on eating out remained stable.

In 1998, people spent the largest proportion of their money on electronic goods, at 16%. Clothing was the second-largest expenditure category, accounting for 12%. By contrast, spending on newspapers/magazines and going to the cinema accounted for the same proportion, at 3%. Meanwhile, spending on holidays and eating out stood at 8% and 6%, respectively, a difference of just 2 percentage points.

By 2008, spending patterns had changed. Expenditure on clothing and electronic goods increased, with clothing rising to 18% and electronic goods reaching 20%. However, expenditure on newspapers/magazines and going to the cinema declined to 1% each. In addition, spending on holidays decreased to 5%, while expenditure on eating out remained unchanged at 6%.