Academic Writing Task 1 · mixed chart

Comparison of daily time spent on household tasks by gender: IELTS Writing Task 1 sample answer

An IELTS Writing Task 1 mixed chart question with a Band 8 sample answer, the chart redrawn with its data, the vocabulary that lifts the report and how to write about mixed charts.
  • 189 words
  • Mixed charts
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The chart shows the division of household tasks by gender in Great Britain. Summaries the information by selecting and reporting the main features and making comparisons where relevant.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Division of household tasks by Gender in Great Britain (Minutes per person per day)
020406080100Cooking baking, washing…Cleaning, house tidyingGardening, pet careCare of own children an…Maintenance odd jobsClothes, washing, ironi…
  • males
  • females
View the data
Cooking baking, washing upCleaning, house tidyingGardening, pet careCare of own children and playMaintenance odd jobsClothes, washing, ironing, sewing
males301349.520262
females745821459.525
Categorymalesfemales
Cooking baking, washing up3074
Cleaning, house tidying1358
Gardening, pet care49.521
Care of own children and play2045
Maintenance odd jobs269.5
Clothes, washing, ironing, sewing225

Chart redrawn by BandLadder from the data in the original IELTS practice task. Many IELTS practice tasks come from the Cambridge IELTS series (Cambridge University Press & Assessment); all rights in the original tasks remain with their owners.

Model answer

Band 8 sample answer

Band 8189 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The bar chart illustrates the average daily time, measured in minutes, that men and women in Great Britain dedicate to six different household activities. Overall, it is clear that there is a distinct gender divide in the distribution of domestic responsibilities.

Women spend the most time on cooking, baking, and washing up, at 74 minutes per day, which is more than double the 30 minutes spent by men. A similar disparity is observed in cleaning and house tidying, where women contribute 58 minutes compared to only 13 minutes by men. Furthermore, women spend 45 minutes on childcare and 25 minutes on clothes-related tasks, while men spend 20 minutes and 2 minutes on these respective activities.

Conversely, men are more involved in tasks traditionally viewed as manual labour. Men spend 49.5 minutes per day on gardening and pet care, significantly higher than the 21 minutes recorded for women. Additionally, men dedicate 26 minutes to maintenance and odd jobs, which is nearly triple the 9.5 minutes spent by women. In summary, while women take on the majority of indoor domestic duties, men focus their efforts on outdoor and maintenance-related household tasks.

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Mixed charts

How to write about mixed charts: tips and vocabulary

  • →Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals.
  • →Give each visual its own detail paragraph.
  • →Point out where one chart explains the other.
  • disparity

    a great difference between two or more things

  • dedicate

    to spend time or effort on a task

  • conversely

    in a way that is the opposite

  • respective

    relating to each of the people or things

  • majority

    the greater number or part of something

  • illustrates

    to show or explain something using data

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

Women generally spend significantly more time on domestic chores like cooking and cleaning, whereas men dedicate more time to gardening and maintenance tasks.

How many words and how long for IELTS Writing Task 1?+

At least 150 words; 170 to 200 is the safe range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

How is IELTS Writing Task 1 scored?+

On four criteria: task achievement, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary, and grammatical range and accuracy. A clear overview of the main features is what most separates Band 6 from Band 7 and above.

How do I describe mixed charts?+

Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals. Give each visual its own detail paragraph. Point out where one chart explains the other.

Keep practising

More mixed charts

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