You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The table below shows the monthly expenditure of an average Australian family in 1991 and 2001.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Sample answer:
The table shows changes in the spending patterns of an average Australian household between 1991 and 2001. In general, Australian household spending was high in 2001 than in 1991 but the difference was not significant (AUD $715 per month and AUD $675 per month respectively).
The amount of monthly spending on electricity and water saw a dramatic increase over the 10-year period from $75 to $120. Yet in terms of the expenditure on non-essential goods and services, the rising trend was less obvious with a minor increase of $20. At the same time, the amount of money spent on food and housing rose only slightly from $155 to $160 and $95 to $100 respectively.
However, there was a decrease in expenditure on the other two items. Australians spent one third less on clothing, which fell from $30 to $20. Similarly, expenditure on transport dropped from $70 in 1991 to $45 in 2001.
It seems that food and “other goods and services” were the two biggest items of expenditure. Altogether, they accounted for more than half of the total household spending. By comparison, Australians spent little on dressing up.
(188 words)
