Band 9: The graph shows the percentage of households in one country that had various goods between 2001 and 2008. Summarize the information by describing the main features of the charts and making comparisons where appropriate.

The bar chart illustrates the proportion of households in a given country that owned a range of consumer durables in 2001 and 2008.

Overall, most appliances became more widespread over the period, with mobile phones and Internet access experiencing the most dramatic growth, while the proportion of households with a telephone fell slightly.

In 2001, telephones were by far the most common item, present in 95% of households, though this figure declined marginally to 90% by 2008. Ownership of microwaves and CD players also remained high, climbing from 80% and 70% respectively to reach 90% each, equal to the telephone. Similarly, the percentage of families with clothes dryers grew moderately from 60% to 70%.

By contrast, items that were less common at the start saw striking increases. Mobile phone ownership quadrupled, rising from just 20% in 2001 to 80% in 2008, while computer ownership doubled from 40% to 80%. The proportion of households with Internet access jumped sixfold from 10% to 60%, and dishwashers also became more common, rising from 10% to 40%.