Literacy Rates: Suggested Answer

Bar Chart: Literacy Rates, 1990 and

2000.
The chart shows literacy rates for men and women in selected countries in 1990 and
2000.
The graph shows changes in literacy rates in different countries between 1990 and 2000,
for men and women. Overall more and more people are able to read, and there have been
significant improvements for women, although they lag behind men in literacy.
The most obvious trend in the graph is that women have lower illiteracy rates in most of
the countries in the graph. For eample, in !angladesh in 1990, "#$ of men could read
and write, but only 2#$ of women. The difference was even bigger in %a&istan, with
#0$ of men being literate but only 20$ of women. 'ven in (uwait and )hina, slightly
more men than women could read and write.
The second biggest trend in the graph is the improvement in literacy between 1990 and
2000. *n all countries shown, figures for both men and women improved. The biggest
change was in %a&istan, from "9$ of men in 1990 to #+$ over the ten year period. 'ven
in countries with relatively high literacy rates, such as )hina or !ra,il, there were
significant increases for men.
-owever, the increases in literacy rates for women were much higher. *n 'gypt, the
percentage of non.illiterate women /umped from 0#$ to ""$, and in %a&istan from 20$
to 21$ over the decade.
*n conclusion, almost all the countries in the graph have a long way to go before
achieving 100$ literacy rates, and women in particular need support in order to increase
their reading ability. -owever, all countries improved over the ten years, and women
appear to be catching up even in the lowest countries.
Age of Marriage, SA: Suggested
Answers
The graph shows changes in the age of marriage in the 234 over the last 100 years.
Overall, although there have been big changes in the average age of marriage, and
although the difference has narrowed, men still tend to be older than women when they
ma&e their vows.
The biggest changes were for women. 4t the start of the century, the average age stood at
/ust 22, and this dropped slightly to about 21 over the net two decades. !etween 1920
and 19#0, the age fluctuated slightly, but in 19#0, it plunged and reached /ust over 20 in
1950. Then a ma/or change too& place. !etween 1950 and 2000 there was a sharp and
continued increase in the age of marriage for women. *t rose from /ust 20 in 1950 to 2# in
2000. This represented a gap of two years between women in men, in contrast to the gap
of four years in 1900.
The trend for men to marry at a later age also increased. 4t the start of the period, men
got married at 25. One hundred years later the age stood at 2+, a slight increase of /ust
one year. -owever there were big changes during the century. From 1900 to1900 the age
dropped from 25 to 2". *t plunged in 19"0 to almost 22 and then remained stable for 20
years. From 19+0 to 2000 there was a sharp increase, mirroring the rise in the women6s
age of marriage. *t shot up from 20.# to 2+.
*n conclusion, there have been big changes in the age of marriage. -owever, men still get
married later than women, and women tend to get married much later than in the past.
2!" words#

Shorter Version: 180 words
The graph shows changes in the average age of marriage for men and women in the 234
between 1900 and 2000. Overall, although both men and women are getting married
later, the difference between them has decreased.
The biggest change was in the age of marriage for women. For the first #0 years it
changed very little, ranging between 21 and 22 years, but by 1950 it had fallen to a low of
/ust over 20. -owever, then it shot up dramatically, rising to 22 in 1910 and 2# in 2000,
/ust two years younger than men, compared to four years in 1900.
The age of marriage for men followed a similar pattern, falling from 25 at the start of the
century to a low of /ust over 22 between 19#0 and 19+0. 7uring the last forty years,
however, the age /umped sharply, reaching 2+ in 2000, one year older on average than at
the start of the period.
*n conclusion, men still tend to be older than their partners at marriage, but the difference
has fallen significantly, and both are marrying later.

Even Shorter Version: 158 words!
The graph shows changes in the ages at which 4mericans married over the last century.
*n general, men are still older than their partners, but the age of marriage for both has
increased.
*n 1900, men got married at 25 on average. This fell gradually to 2" in 1900 and then to a
low of about 22.# between 19#0 and 19+0. From 19+0 to 2000, however, it shot up,
reaching 2+ at the turn of the century.
*n contrast, women married much earlier 100 years ago. The age of marriage was /ust 22
and this barely changed before 19#0. 4fter a low of 20.# in 1950, however, the age began
to shoot up and by 2000 the average woman got married at 25 years of age, four years
older than a century earlier, and much closer to the age for men.
*n conclusion, women are getting married much later, although men still tend to be two
years older.

Marriages, $i%orce, & Re'arriage
The graph shows statistics for first marriages, divorces and remarriages in the 2(.
8rite a short description of the chart.
From9 http9::www.statistics.gov.u&:3T4T!43':sdataset.asp;vln&<120=>ore<?
7ownload in 'cel (Right-click, save to your desktop)

More detail
-ere is a more detailed version of the information above9
-ere is the official description of the graph above, from the 2( @ational 3tatistics office.
)hanges in household and family patterns reflect changes in the partnering and marital
status of the population over time. >arriage is still the usual form of partnership between
men and women. -owever, the total number of marriages in the 2nited (ingdom has
fallen from a pea& in 19+2. *n 199+ there were 010 thousand marriages, among the lowest
figures recorded during the twentieth century.
The number of first marriages has decreased substantially since its pea& in 19+0. *n 199+
there were 111 thousand first marriages for both partners, less than half the number in
19+0.
3lightly over two.fifths of marriages in 199+ were remarriages for either or both partners.
'arly in the twentieth century remarriage was relatively uncommon, but since the 1950s
the number of remarriages has increased. 8hile most of the few remarriages at the turn of
the century in 'ngland and 8ales involved a widow or widower, more recently at least
one partner remarrying has usually been divorced. These trends were notably accentuated
following the implementation of the 7ivorce Aeform 4ct 1959 in 19+1

Bar (ra)h: *o'en, nu'+er of +a+ies,
and education: Suggested Answer 2
The bar chart gives information on fertility rates, or average number of births per women
in different countries in the 1990s, 4@7 the educational level of the women. Overall, it is
very clear that the more educated women are, the smaller the family si,e.
*n all countries in the graph, the highest fertility rate is for women without education.
There are huge differences between countries. @iger has the highest fertility rate, at
almost eight births per woman. This is almost double the rate in Bordan, at ".5 births.
Cuatemala and ?emen are second and third in the number of births per woman, at +.1
and 5.9 respectively, while (enya and %a&istan have /ust under 5 births per woman.
*n almost all countries in the graph, the birthrate drops sharply after the completion of
primary education. 8omen who have a basic education have much fewer children in
Cuatemala, at only #.1 compared to +.1 for uneducated women, and in ?emen, at ".5
compared to 5.9 for women without education. *n some countries, the difference is not so
noticeable. For eample, in the %hilippines, the birth rate is the same for women without
primary education as for women who have finished primary school, at eactly #.0. 4
similar pattern is seen in Bordan.
-owever, the difference is most obvious among secondary school graduates. 8omen
with a high school education have only 2.5 children in Cuatemala, compared to almost
three times that number for uneducated women. *n -aiti, the figure for secondary school
graduates is only 2.#, compared to 5.1 for women without primary schooling. 'ven in
Bordan, which has the smallest differences in the graph, there is a difference of one child
between women with no education and secondary education.
*n conclusion, although there are huge differences between countries, it is clear that
women6s education is directly related to family si,e.
Bar (ra)h: *o'en, nu'+er of +a+ies,
and education: Suggested Answer 2
The bar chart gives information on fertility rates, or average number of births per women
in different countries in the 1990s, 4@7 the educational level of the women. Overall, it is
very clear that the more educated women are, the smaller the family si,e.
*n all countries in the graph, the highest fertility rate is for women without education.
There are huge differences between countries. @iger has the highest fertility rate, at
almost eight births per woman. This is almost double the rate in Bordan, at ".5 births.
Cuatemala and ?emen are second and third in the number of births per woman, at +.1
and 5.9 respectively, while (enya and %a&istan have /ust under 5 births per woman.
*n almost all countries in the graph, the birthrate drops sharply after the completion of
primary education. 8omen who have a basic education have much fewer children in
Cuatemala, at only #.1 compared to +.1 for uneducated women, and in ?emen, at ".5
compared to 5.9 for women without education. *n some countries, the difference is not so
noticeable. For eample, in the %hilippines, the birth rate is the same for women without
primary education as for women who have finished primary school, at eactly #.0. 4
similar pattern is seen in Bordan.
-owever, the difference is most obvious among secondary school graduates. 8omen
with a high school education have only 2.5 children in Cuatemala, compared to almost
three times that number for uneducated women. *n -aiti, the figure for secondary school
graduates is only 2.#, compared to 5.1 for women without primary schooling. 'ven in
Bordan, which has the smallest differences in the graph, there is a difference of one child
between women with no education and secondary education.
*n conclusion, although there are huge differences between countries, it is clear that
women6s education is directly related to family si,e.