IELTS Writing Task 1 #171
IELTS Tip
Most table and bar chart-based Task 1 questions will ask you either to describe changes over time OR compare two or more sets of information. Sometimes you might have to do both. The language you need will vary depending on the type of task.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The table below shows the percentage participation of women in senior management in three companies between 1975 and 2015.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model answer
The table shows the percentage of women in senior management positions in three companies from 1975 to 2015.
While more women were in senior positions at Finsbury Ltd than the other two companies in 1975 at 16%, the trend was fairly erratic with a 2% drop to 14% in 1980, followed by a rise of 1% five years later. In 1990, women held 7% more top management jobs than in 1985. After a slight drop back to 20% in 2000, by 2015 26% of top posts were filled by women.
By contrast, at Eldan Ltd women fared much better. In 1975, 3% of senior posts were occupied by women with no change five years on. By 1985, the figure had increased to 14%, doubling to 28% in 1990. Ten years afterwards, there was a 5% increase in female senior management jobs with a near twofold jump in 2015 to stand at 64%, the highest for the three companies.
The situation was less remarkable at Bamforth Ltd than the other two firms except for the year 2015. In 1975, the percentage of senior posts held by women was 9% climbing at the rate of 2% in each subsequent period until 2000, after which it leapt to 46%.
From the data, it is clear that women dominated senior posts at Eldan by 2015.
(221 words)