Sugar Tax Revenue in Four Countries
The question
The bar chart below shows the revenue raised from taxes on sugary drinks in four countries in 2019 and 2024. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Instructions
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
• Begin with an overview of the main trends or differences.
• Compare the four countries with each other as well as over time.
• Use the figures and units shown on the chart where they help.
• Do not give your own opinions or speculate about causes.
How to approach this bar chart question
A bar chart compares categories or shows change between points in time. Write an overview of the biggest differences, then compare the highest, lowest and any surprise.
- Name the chart, the units and the time or places it covers in one sentence (paraphrase the question).
- Write an overview: the largest and smallest categories, or the main change over time.
- Group the bars into two body paragraphs by similarity, not one by one.
- Quote the key numbers only, with units, and compare them.
How to plan this answer
Structure
- Introduction: paraphrase the bar chart, which shows the revenue from taxes on sugary drinks in four countries in 2019 and 2024, in US$ millions.
- Overview: Mexico raises far more than the other three countries in both years, the United Kingdom is the only country where revenue falls, and Portugal is the lowest throughout.
- Body paragraph 1: Mexico and the United Kingdom, with Mexico rising from 1,180 to 1,320 million and the United Kingdom falling from 310 to 290 million.
- Body paragraph 2: Chile and Portugal, which both rise in percentage terms, with Chile from 150 to 210 million and Portugal from 60 to 85 million.
Key features to spot
- Mexico's revenue of 1,320 million US dollars in 2024 is more than four times the United Kingdom's figure of 290 million.
- Mexico accounts for about 69% of the combined revenue of the four countries in both years.
- The United Kingdom is the only country to fall, losing 20 million (about 6%).
- Portugal's revenue rises by about 42%, from 60 to 85 million, the fastest proportional growth, while Chile rises by 60 million, or 40%.
- Combined revenue rises from 1,700 million to 1,905 million US dollars, an increase of about 12%.
Useful vocabulary
- US$ millions: Revenue in Mexico reached 1,320 US$ millions in 2024.
- generated revenue of: Mexico generated revenue of 1,180 US$ millions in 2019.
- the largest contributor: Mexico is the largest contributor by a considerable margin.
- an increase of ... million: Chile recorded an increase of 60 million.
- the only country to see a fall: The United Kingdom was the only country to see a fall.
- accounted for around: Mexico accounted for around 69% of the total.
- rose by ... per cent: Portugal's revenue rose by about 42 per cent.
- by a considerable margin: Mexico leads by a considerable margin in both years.
Common mistakes
- Saying all four countries grew, which ignores the fall in the United Kingdom.
- Describing Portugal's revenue as having doubled, when it rose from 60 to 85 million, about 42%.
- Mixing units, for example writing 1,320 million in one sentence and 1.32 billion in the next without consistency.
- Explaining the changes in revenue with reasons such as consumption or policy, which the prompt rules out.
- Describing the smaller countries' changes in absolute terms only, without noting the scale difference with Mexico.
Examiner tip: Mexico's bar dwarfs the others, so use percentages or ratios for the smaller countries and keep the US$ millions unit beside each figure you quote.
Model answers by band score
Written for this question to show what changes from one band to the next. Try the task yourself first, then compare.
Band 6 answer
The bar chart shows the money that four countries got from taxes on sugary drinks in 2019 and 2024. The countries are Mexico, the United Kingdom, Chile and Portugal and the revenue is in US$ millions.
Overall, Mexico had the most revenue in both years and Portugal had the least. Three countries had more revenue in 2024 but only the United Kingdom had less.
Mexico earn $1,180 million in 2019 and it went up to $1,320 million in 2024. This is much higher than the other countries. The United Kingdom was the second, with $310 million in 2019, but it fall to $290 million in 2024.
Chile and Portugal are the smallest. Chile went up from $150 million to $210 million, and Portugal went up from $60 million to $85 million. So the two countries increase quite a lot.
In conclusion, Mexico is far bigger than the rest of the countries in this chart.
Why this is band 6
- Figures for all eight bars are accurate and the overview correctly notes Mexico highest, Portugal lowest and the UK as the only fall.
- Language is limited and repetitive ('went up' three times) and contains errors in tense and agreement ('Mexico earn', 'it fall', 'increase').
- Comparison stays basic: 'much higher' and 'quite a lot' are vague where a ratio or percentage would be precise.
- Band 7 would control tenses, vary the vocabulary of change and quantify the gap between Mexico and the rest.
Band 7 answer
The bar chart compares the revenue raised from taxes on sugary drinks in Mexico, the United Kingdom, Chile and Portugal in 2019 and 2024, measured in millions of US dollars.
Overall, Mexico raised by far the most revenue in both years, while Portugal raised the least. Revenue rose in three of the four countries, with the United Kingdom the only exception.
Mexico's revenue increased from $1,180 million in 2019 to $1,320 million in 2024. This was more than four times the figure for the United Kingdom, the second-highest earner, whose revenue fell slightly from $310 million to $290 million over the same period.
The two smallest earners both saw growth. Chile's revenue climbed from $150 million to $210 million, a rise of 40%, and Portugal's grew from $60 million to $85 million. Although these amounts were much lower than Mexico's, they represented the fastest proportional growth among the four countries, and Chile's 2024 revenue was still below that of the United Kingdom.
In summary, Mexico dominated the chart, and the gap between it and the other three countries remained large.
Why this is band 7
- Clear overview with the exceptional case (UK) identified, and every figure correct.
- Good range of vocabulary and useful quantification: 'more than four times' (1,320 against 290) and 'a rise of 40%' for Chile.
- Minor flaws: Portugal's growth (about 42%) is not given although the 'fastest growth' claim covers it, and the last sentence of the third paragraph is slightly clumsy.
- Band 8 would check each comparative claim for precision and trim awkward sentences while grouping the data more purposefully.
Band 8 answer
The bar chart compares the revenue that four countries raised from taxes on sugary drinks in 2019 and 2024, in millions of US dollars.
Overall, Mexico was by far the biggest earner in both years, and revenue rose in every country except the United Kingdom, where it fell slightly.
Mexico's takings increased from $1,180 million to $1,320 million, so that by 2024 it was raising more than four and a half times as much as the second-placed United Kingdom. The British figure, by contrast, slipped from $310 million to $290 million, the only decline on the chart.
The two smaller markets expanded markedly in proportional terms. Chile's revenue rose from $150 million to $210 million, an increase of 40%, while Portugal's climbed from $60 million to $85 million, an increase of around 42%. Even so, both countries remained far behind the leaders: in 2024 Portugal's total was less than a third of the United Kingdom's, and Chile's was about 72% of it.
In short, absolute revenue was concentrated in Mexico, while the strongest relative growth occurred in the two smallest countries.
Why this is band 8
- The overview states the dominant pattern and the single exception concisely.
- Detail is precise and selected: 'four and a half times' (1,320 against 290), 40% and around 42% growth, and 85 against 290 for Portugal.
- Language is flexible ('slipped', 'expanded markedly', 'second-placed') with rare errors and smooth linking.
- Band 9 would be wholly natural, with no mechanical sequence of figures and every calculation woven in effortlessly.
Band 9 answer
The bar chart compares revenue from taxes on sugary drinks in four countries in 2019 and 2024, in millions of US dollars.
Overall, Mexico dwarfed the other three countries in both years, and revenue rose everywhere except the United Kingdom, where it dipped slightly.
Mexico's takings grew from $1,180 million to $1,320 million, and by 2024 it was raising more than four and a half times as much as the second-placed United Kingdom. The British total, in contrast, eased from $310 million to $290 million, the only decline shown.
The smaller economies grew fastest in proportional terms. Chile's revenue rose by 40%, from $150 million to $210 million, while Portugal's increased by about 42%, from $60 million to $85 million. Despite these gains, neither came close to the leaders: Portugal's 2024 figure was barely more than a quarter of the United Kingdom's, and Chile's, at roughly 72%, still fell short of it.
Thus, the ranking was unchanged between the two years, but the gaps at the lower end narrowed in relative terms as the UK's income slipped and the smaller countries' income rose.
Why this is band 9
- Every figure and derived value is correct (4.5 times, 40%, about 42%, roughly 72%) and the ranking claim in the conclusion is accurate.
- Language is sophisticated and natural ('dwarfed', 'eased', 'neither came close to the leaders') with no errors.
- The report selects the key trends rather than listing eight bars, and the closing sentence adds an insight drawn directly from the data.
- Cohesion is effortless, with comparison running through each paragraph.
Band levels are our estimate against the public IELTS criteria; they are not official scores.
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