Life Expectancy in Three Countries

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 line graph, which shows average life expectancy at birth in three countries at ten-year intervals from 1960 to 2020.
2. Overview: all three countries gain years of life expectancy, Country A is the highest throughout, and Country C is the lowest and shows one period of decline.
3. Body paragraph 1: Countries A and B, with A rising steadily from 69 to 83 years and B from 58 to 74 years, including the slowdown in B after 2010.
4. Body paragraph 2: Country C, which rises from 51 to 66 years, dips between 1990 and 2000, and has its strongest decade in 2000-2010.

Key features to spot

• Country A rises from 69 to 83 years, adding about two to three years per decade.
• Country C is the only country to decline, from 58 years in 1990 to 57 years in 2000.
• Country C's strongest decade is 2000-2010, rising from 57 to 62 years, which narrows its gap with Country B from 14 years to 11.
• Country B's gain slows sharply after 2010, rising only one year to 74 by 2020.
• The gap between Country A and Country C is widest in 2000 at 22 years, and narrows to 17 years by 2020.

Useful vocabulary

• life expectancy at birth: Life expectancy at birth in Country A reached 83 years by 2020.
• rose steadily: Life expectancy in Country A rose steadily across the period.
• dipped slightly: Country C's figure dipped slightly between 1990 and 2000.
• the gap narrowed: The gap between Countries B and C narrowed after 2000.
• levelled off: Country B's figure levelled off in the final decade.
• stood at: Life expectancy in Country C stood at 66 years in 2020.
• the widest gap: The widest gap between the countries is in 2000.
• does not follow the general pattern: Country C does not follow the general pattern in the 1990s.

Common mistakes

• Saying all three countries rose in every decade, when Country C fell between 1990 and 2000.
• Describing Country A's rise as dramatic, when it adds only two to three years a decade.
• Writing that life expectancy rose by 14 per cent, rather than 14 years.
• Comparing only 1960 and 2020, which hides the 1990-2000 dip and the change in the gap.
• Giving reasons for changes in life expectancy, which the prompt does not allow.

Examiner tip: Name the period when a line breaks the general pattern, then give the figures before and after it. Describe each line, then compare the gaps between them.