The chart below shows the percentage of female members of parliament in 5 European countries from 2000 to 2012

Band 8 Model Answer

(Introduction) The line graph illustrates the proportions of women elected to the parliaments in five different European countries including Germany, the UK, Belgium, France and Italy between 2000 and 2012.(Overview) Over the period shown, all the five European nations mentioned experienced upward trends in their percentages of female members of parliaments (MPs). While the percentage of female MPs in Germany was by far highest overall, the figure for France was lowest in each year shown.

(Detail) In 2000, Germany had the highest percentage of female MPs, at around 33%, followed by the UK, Belgium and Italy having approximately 27%, 25% and 22% respectively. The figure for France was nearly one seventh of that for Germany, at merely 5%.  Between 2000 and 2010, the figure for Germany increased slowly, WHILE that of the UK saw a significant rise.In 2010, the UK overtook Germany as the country having the highest percentage of female MPs among five nations mentioned in the graph. Over the given period, Belgium and Italy witnessed a steady rise in the percentage of female MPs. By 2012, the figures for these two countries had increased by 7% and 3% respectively. From 2000 to 2008, the figure for France increased fourfold/quadrupled. Over the rest of the period shown, the proportion of women elected to the parliament in France remained relatively stable, at around 20%.