IELTS – Sample Essay Answer – Task 1 and Task 2

TASK – 1 – Question – 1

Comparison of Leisure Time by Gender and Employment Status (1998-1999)

Band Score – 9

The bar chart provides a comparison of the amount of leisure time enjoyed by men and women in a typical week, categorized by their employment status during the years 1998-1999. The employment statuses include full-time employment, part-time employment, unemployment, retirement, and housewives.

Firstly, it is evident that men generally have more leisure time than women across most employment categories. For full-time employees, men have approximately 45 hours of leisure time per week, while women have around 38 hours. In the part-time employment category, the data shows that only women are represented, enjoying about 40 hours of leisure time per week.

Unemployed and retired individuals have the highest amount of leisure time. Unemployed men have about 85 hours, whereas unemployed women have slightly less, around 78 hours. Similarly, retired men and women enjoy significant leisure time, with men having around 82 hours and women approximately 78 hours per week.

Housewives, who are solely women in this dataset, have about 50 hours of leisure time per week. This amount is greater than that of women employed full-time but less than that of unemployed or retired women.

In summary, the chart highlights that men generally enjoy more leisure time than women, and that the highest leisure time is observed among the unemployed and retired groups, while the least is among those employed full-time. This data underscores the disparities in leisure time based on gender and employment status.