Academic Writing Task 1 · mixed chart

Comparison of weekly working hours and stress-related illness across eight professions

The graphs show figures relating to hours worked and stress levels amongst professionals in eight groups.

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

Average number of hours worked per week (hours)
020406080100WritersDoctorsChefsLecturersLawyersMovie ProducersProgrammersBusiness men
View the data
WritersDoctorsChefsLecturersLawyersMovie ProducersProgrammersBusiness men
Average hours4552302535604070
Occupations of people suffering from stress related illness (%)
  • Writers: 8%
  • Doctors: 15%
  • Chefs: 10%
  • Lecturers: 25%
  • Lawyers: 8%
  • Movie Producers: 18%
  • Programmers: 5%
  • Business men: 11%
View the data
CategoryValue (%)
Writers8
Doctors15
Chefs10
Lecturers25
Lawyers8
Movie Producers18
Programmers5
Business men11

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.

Band 8 sample answer

The bar chart illustrates the average weekly working hours for eight different occupations, while the pie chart displays the distribution of stress-related illnesses among these same groups. Overall, it is evident that working longer hours does not necessarily lead to higher rates of stress-related health issues.

Business men work the longest hours, averaging 70 per week, followed by movie producers at 60 hours and doctors at 52 hours. Conversely, lecturers work the fewest hours, with an average of only 25 per week, followed by chefs at 30 hours. Other professions, such as writers, programmers, and lawyers, work between 35 and 45 hours weekly.

Regarding stress-related illnesses, lecturers account for the highest proportion at 25%, despite having the lowest weekly working hours. Movie producers follow at 18% and doctors at 15%. Interestingly, business men, who work the most hours, represent only 11% of stress-related cases. Programmers, who work 40 hours, report the lowest incidence of stress-related illness at 5%. Writers and lawyers both contribute 8% each to the total, while chefs account for 10%. The data suggests that factors other than the sheer volume of working hours significantly influence stress levels in these professions.

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

How to write about mixed charts

illustrates
provides a visual representation or explanation of data
distribution
the way in which something is shared among people
conversely
introducing a statement that reverses a previous one
proportion
a part, share, or number considered in comparative relation
incidence
the occurrence, rate, or frequency of a phenomenon
significantly
in a sufficiently great or important way

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

There is no direct correlation between the number of hours worked and the prevalence of stress-related illnesses across the eight professional groups.

How long should an IELTS Task 1 answer be?

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 do I describe mixed charts?

Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals. Give each visual its own detail paragraph. Point out where one chart explains the other.

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