Hip Replacement Waiting Times

The question

How to approach this line graph question

A line graph shows change over time. Your job is to describe the trends and compare the lines, not to list every point.

1. Paraphrase the question, giving the time span and units.
2. Overview: the overall direction of each line and where they cross or finish.
3. Describe each trend with a range of verbs (rose steadily, fell sharply, levelled off) and time markers.
4. Mention the highest points, lowest points and any crossover.

How to plan this answer

Structure

1. Introduction: paraphrase the graph. Median waiting time for hip replacement surgery in Canada, Sweden and Australia, 2018 to 2025, in weeks.
2. Overview: all three rose to a peak in 2021 and then fell, Canada had the longest waits and Sweden the shortest throughout.
3. Body 1: Canada, rising from 22 to a peak of 39 weeks in 2021 and falling back to 23 weeks by 2025.
4. Body 2: Sweden (16 to a peak of 27) and Australia (19 to a peak of 30), both returning to close to their 2018 levels.

Key features to spot

• All three countries reached their highest median waiting time in 2021, the year of the peak on the graph.
• Canada had the longest waits in every year, peaking at 39 weeks in 2021.
• Sweden had the shortest waits in every year and was the only country to finish below its 2018 figure (15 weeks against 16).
• Australia rose from 19 to 30 weeks by 2021 and then fell to 20 weeks by 2025.
• Canada fell by 16 weeks between 2021 and 2025, the largest fall of the three countries.

Useful vocabulary

• the median waiting time: The graph shows the median waiting time for hip replacement surgery.
• peaked at: Canada peaked at 39 weeks in 2021.
• reached its highest point: All three countries reached their highest point in 2021.
• fell back to: Sweden fell back to 15 weeks by 2025.
• returned to close to its 2018 level: Australia returned to close to its 2018 level by 2025.
• remained the longest: Canada remained the longest waiting time in every year.
• rose sharply before falling: Waiting times rose sharply before falling in the later years.
• a fall of 16 weeks: Canada showed a fall of 16 weeks between 2021 and 2025.
• in the same year: All three countries peaked in the same year.
• a slight increase on: Canada's 2025 figure is a slight increase on its 2018 figure.

Common mistakes

• Saying Canada's waiting time doubled. A rise from 22 to 39 weeks is less than double, so state the exact increase.
• Dropping the unit. Waiting times should be described in weeks.
• Treating 2018 to 2025 as one steady trend. The key feature is the rise to a 2021 peak and the fall afterwards.
• Speculating about the cause of the 2021 peak. The task asks for no speculation about causes.
• Describing Sweden as the country with the second-highest figures. Sweden had the lowest figure in every year.

Examiner tip: Use the 2021 peak as the organising point of your overview, then compare how far each country's figures rose and fell and how the 2025 figures compare with 2018.