The charts below show the hours worked per week by male and female workers in government institutions and private companies.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 1 question on IELTSX. The charts below show the hours worked per week by male and female workers in government institutions and private companies.

Hours worked per week male female workers government institutions private companies - IELTS Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

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

Write at least 150 words.

IELTS Writing Task 1 chart for Hours worked per week male female workers government institutions private companies
Chart supplied with the IELTS Writing Task 1 question: Hours worked per week male female workers government institutions private companies

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 7.5 · 239 words.

The provided pie charts compare the proportions of male and female employees working different ranges of hours in two sectors: government institutions and private companies. Overall, government employees tend to work fewer hours than their counterparts in private companies. In addition, among government employees, men generally work longer hours than women, whereas the opposite pattern can be observed in the private sector.

In government institutions, the lowest working-hour range accounted for roughly one-third of the workforce, with 30% of males and 36% of females. At the opposite end of the spectrum, both genders recorded an identical figure of 9% for the longest working-hour category (over 46 hours). As for the middle ranges, the same proportion of males (23%) worked either 6–12 hours or 13–30 hours, whereas 18% of females fell into the former category and 27% into the latter. Meanwhile, the 31–45 hour category accounted for 15% of males and 9% of females.

Moving on to private companies, male employees generally worked fewer hours than their female counterparts, particularly in the lower working-hour ranges (1–5 hours and 6–12 hours), where the combined figures stood at 39% for males and 24% for females. Although both genders recorded the same proportion (23%) in the longest working-hour category of over 46 hours, women were more likely to work in the middle ranges. Slightly over half of the female workforce worked between 6 and 30 hours, compared with 48% of the male workforce.

Examiner feedback

This is a strong response that clearly communicates the key trends and data points from the pie charts. The writing is very fluent with excellent grammatical control and logical organization. To reach a higher band, focus on more sophisticated data synthesis and even more varied academic vocabulary.

Task Achievement - 7

- The response covers all requirements of the task, including a clear overview identifying the main trends. - Key features are selected and supported with accurate data from the charts. - Comparisons between genders and between the two sectors are clearly highlighted and illustrated.

Coherence & Cohesion - 8

- Paragraphing is logically managed, with a clear introduction, overview, and specific paragraphs for each sector. - Cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'at the opposite end of the spectrum', and 'meanwhile' are used effectively to link ideas. - The use of referencing (e.g., 'the former category', 'the latter') is accurate and aids the flow of information.

Lexical Resource - 7

- The vocabulary is appropriate and sufficient to describe the trends, using terms like 'proportions', 'counterparts', and 'workforce'. - There is successful use of less common items like 'spectrum' and 'identical figure'. - Collocations are generally natural, though more variety in verbs for data description could elevate the score.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 8

- A wide range of structures is used with flexibility and accuracy, including complex sentences and comparison structures. - The majority of sentences are error-free, demonstrating high control of grammar and punctuation. - Minor punctuation choices (like the use of dashes) are appropriate and enhance readability.

Related prompts

Start Practice