Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Percentage of male and female teachers in six UK educational settings in 2010: IELTS Writing Task 1 sample answer

An IELTS Writing Task 1 bar 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 bar charts.
  • 188 words
  • Bar charts
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The chart below shows the percentage of male and female teachers in six different types of educational settings in the UK in 2010.

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

Percentage of male and female teachers in six educational settings in the UK (2010) (%)
020406080100Nursery/ Pre-schoolPrimary schoolSecondary schoolCollegePrivate training instit…University
  • Men
  • Women
View the data
Nursery/ Pre-schoolPrimary schoolSecondary schoolCollegePrivate training instituteUniversity
Men51044505770
Women959156504330

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 8188 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The bar chart illustrates the gender distribution of teachers across six distinct educational settings in the UK during 2010. Overall, it is evident that there is a stark contrast in gender representation depending on the level of education, with women significantly outnumbering men in early years and primary schooling, while the reverse is true for university and private training environments.

In nursery and pre-school settings, women accounted for 95% of the teaching staff, leaving men with a mere 5%. A similar pattern was observed in primary schools, where women comprised 91% of teachers compared to only 10% for men. The gender gap narrowed considerably in secondary schools, where women made up 56% and men 44%. By the college level, the distribution was perfectly balanced, with both genders representing 50% of the workforce.

Conversely, the trend shifted in favour of men in more advanced settings. In private training institutes, 57% of teachers were male, while 43% were female. This disparity was most pronounced at the university level, where men occupied 70% of teaching roles, leaving women with 30%, which is the inverse of the proportions seen in primary education.

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Bar charts

How to write about bar charts: tips and vocabulary

  • →Compare the biggest and smallest bars before anything else.
  • →If the bars show years, describe change; if they show places, describe rank.
  • →Round sensibly and say 'just over' or 'nearly' rather than guessing decimals.
  • stark contrast

    a very clear and obvious difference between things

  • outnumbering

    being more numerous than the other group mentioned

  • narrowed

    became smaller in range or difference between values

  • pronounced

    very noticeable, obvious, or strongly marked in character

  • inverse

    the exact opposite or reverse of a position

  • distribution

    the way in which something is shared among people

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

Women dominated the teaching workforce in early childhood and primary education, whereas men held the majority of positions in higher education and private training sectors.

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 bar charts?+

Compare the biggest and smallest bars before anything else. If the bars show years, describe change; if they show places, describe rank. Round sensibly and say 'just over' or 'nearly' rather than guessing decimals.

Keep practising

More bar charts

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