Percentage of International and the UK Students Gaining Second Class Degrees or Better - IELTS Task 1 Bar Graph Band 9 Sample Report

Students Gaining Second Class Degrees

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph compares the percentage of international and the percentage of UK students gaining second class degrees or better at a major UK University in 2009.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

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Sample Answer 1

The bar chart compares the percentage of international and UK students who obtained second-class degrees or higher in various academic disciplines at a prominent UK university in 2009.

Overall, the chart reveals that, except for engineering and technology-related subjects, a larger proportion of UK students secured higher degrees compared to their international counterparts. Notably, both groups achieved similar outcomes in nursing and accountancy, while international students outperformed UK students in fields such as engineering and information technology.

In detail, approximately 80% of UK students earned second-class degrees or better in sociology, art history, and English literature, exceeding the performance of international students in these subjects by 10-15%. For sociology, 80% of local students succeeded, compared to around 70% of international students. Similarly, in art history and literature, UK students led with about 75-80% compared to the 65-70% range achieved by their international peers.

Conversely, international students demonstrated higher success rates in technical disciplines. Around 70% of international students in electrical engineering and 80% in information technology attained second-class degrees or better, surpassing UK students by approximately 10%. The two groups performed equally in nursing, with roughly 78% earning honors, and in accountancy, where both achieved exactly 60%. However, a notable gap is observed in international law, where only 50% of international students succeeded, compared to 70% of UK students, representing the largest disparity between the two groups.

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Sample Answer 2

The bar chart illustrates the comparison between the percentage of international and UK students gaining second-class degrees or higher across various academic disciplines at a major UK university in 2009.

In general, the data indicates that UK students outperformed their international peers in most subjects, with the exception of engineering and technology-related fields, where international students showed better results. Additionally, the percentages for nursing and accountancy are almost identical between the two groups, highlighting areas where performance levels were closely matched.

Looking at the individual subjects, UK students had a clear edge in sociology, art history, and English literature, with approximately 80% securing second-class degrees or higher. By contrast, international students in these fields lagged slightly behind, with their success rates ranging between 65% and 70%. The most notable performance gap appears in the field of international law, where around 70% of UK students achieved higher degrees, compared to only 50% of international students.

On the other hand, international students excelled in technical subjects such as electrical engineering and information technology. In these disciplines, international students consistently outperformed UK students, with around 10% more gaining second-class degrees or better. The performance in nursing was equally strong for both groups, with nearly 78% in each cohort attaining higher degrees, while both groups also achieved identical outcomes in accountancy, with 60% securing second-class honors.

Sample Answer 3

The bar chart presents a comparison of the proportion of international and the UK students gaining second class degrees or higher across several academic fields at a prominent UK university in 2009.

Overall, the graph shows that UK students generally outperformed international students in most subjects, except for technical fields like engineering and information technology, where international students excelled. The performance gap was especially narrow in nursing and accountancy, where both groups achieved comparable success rates.

In terms of specific disciplines, UK students achieved higher success rates in sociology, art history, and English literature, with around 80% securing at least a second-class degree. In contrast, international students’ performance in these subjects was slightly lower, with figures hovering around the 65-70% range. One striking difference can be seen in international law, where approximately 70% of UK students gained higher degrees, compared to only half of their international counterparts.

On the other hand, international students exhibited stronger performance in electrical engineering and information technology, surpassing their UK peers by roughly 10% in both fields. Nursing saw almost identical success rates for both groups, with close to 78% achieving second-class degrees or better. Similarly, both international and the UK students gaining second class degrees in accountancy stood at an equal 60%, marking one of the few areas where their achievements were perfectly aligned.

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