Source: Official IELTS sample material, published free by the test partners (British Council / IDP / Cambridge).
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
The chart wasn't reproduced in the source PDF. The figures below are a dataset written to match the prompt so the task is still practisable. They are not the original numbers.
Numbers of students, in thousands:
| Period | Men, full-time | Men, part-time | Women, full-time | Women, part-time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970/71 | 100 | 1,000 | 50 | 750 |
| 1980/81 | 150 | 1,050 | 100 | 850 |
| 1990/91 | 200 | 900 | 200 | 1,100 |
Before you start: this chart has four data series and three time points, which is exactly the situation where candidates lose marks by describing all twelve numbers in sequence. Group first. The two obvious groupings are by sex and by mode of study — pick one for each body paragraph.
Your overview should carry the shape without figures: part-time study dominated throughout; full-time numbers grew steadily for both sexes; and women overtook men in part-time study by the final period. Everything else is detail.
Worked examples of this grouping decision are in Task 1 Complete Guide and Task 1 Calibration Track.