Recent Exam 01/2026
You have approximately 20 minutes to complete this task.
The chart below shows the percentages of males and females with higher education qualifications in five countries in 2001.
Provide an overview of the information by identifying and describing the key details, and include comparisons where appropriate.
Your report should comprise a minimum of 150 words.
Model Answer:
The bar chart compares the percentages of men and women who obtained higher education qualifications in five countries — the United States, Japan, Switzerland, Britain, and Germany — in 2001.
Overall, it is evident that the United States, Britain, and Germany recorded identical proportions of males holding tertiary qualifications. Germany registered the highest percentage of females with higher education, whereas Switzerland ranked first in terms of male attainment. In contrast, Japan had the lowest figures for both genders.
In detail, the United States and Germany were the only two countries where women outperformed men in higher education attainment in 2001. In the United States, approximately 40% of women possessed tertiary degrees, compared with around 35% of men. Germany exhibited a more pronounced disparity, with about 45% of women holding higher education qualifications, while the corresponding figure for men was roughly 35%.
By comparison, Japan, Switzerland, and Britain all reported higher proportions of men with tertiary education. Switzerland recorded the highest male figure overall, at approximately 45%, compared with around 35% for women. A similar but less significant gap was observed in Britain, where about 35% of men attained higher education qualifications, roughly 5 percentage points higher than women. Japan followed the same pattern at a lower level, with about 30% of men and 25% of women obtaining tertiary degrees.
219 words.
Vocab Highlights:
1. Tertiary Education
Pronunciation: /ˈtɜːʃəri ˌedʒuˈkeɪʃən/
Meaning: Education at university or college level.
Example: Switzerland recorded one of the highest rates of tertiary education among men.
2. Attainment
Pronunciation: /əˈteɪnmənt/
Meaning: The level of success achieved in education.
Example: Male educational attainment was particularly high in Switzerland.
3. Proportion
Pronunciation: /prəˈpɔːʃən/
Meaning: A part or share of a whole, usually expressed as a percentage.
Example: The proportion of women with higher education in Germany was significant.
4. Identical
Pronunciation: /aɪˈdentɪkəl/
Meaning: Exactly the same.
Example: The three countries recorded identical percentages for male graduates.
5. Registered
Pronunciation: /ˈredʒɪstəd/
Meaning: Officially recorded or showed.
Example: Germany registered the highest figure for female graduates.
6. Ranked First (in terms of)
Pronunciation: /ræŋkt fɜːst/
Meaning: Placed in the top position regarding something.
Example: Switzerland ranked first in terms of male higher education attainment.
7. Outperformed
Pronunciation: /ˌaʊtpəˈfɔːmd/
Meaning: Performed better than someone else.
Example: In Germany, women outperformed men in tertiary education attainment.
8. Disparity
Pronunciation: /dɪˈspærəti/
Meaning: A noticeable difference or inequality.
Example: There was a clear disparity between male and female graduates in Germany.
9. Corresponding Figure
Pronunciation: /ˌkɒrɪˈspɒndɪŋ ˈfɪɡə/
Meaning: The related number in comparison.
Example: The corresponding figure for men was slightly lower.
10. Percentage Points
Pronunciation: /pəˈsentɪdʒ pɔɪnts/
Meaning: The unit used to describe the difference between two percentages.
Example: The male rate was five percentage points higher than the female rate.
11. Pronounced
Pronunciation: /prəˈnaʊnst/
Meaning: Very noticeable or significant.
Example: Germany showed a more pronounced gender gap.
