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The percentage of women going into higher education in five countries -IELTS Task 1 Bar Graph Band 9

Updated: Jun 28

You should spend 20 minutes on this task.


The chart gives information on the percentage of women going into higher education in five countries for the years 1980 and 2015.


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


Write at least 150 words.


Task 1 Bar Graph Band 9 Sample (The chart gives information on the percentage of women going into higher education in five countries for the years 1980 and 2015.)

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Sample Report 1

The provided bar chart presents data on the proportion of female students who enrolled in higher education across five countries - the UK, USA, Australia, South Korea, and France - between 1980 and 2015.


Overall, the trend shows a significant increase in the number of female students enrolling in higher education in all the countries.


Looking into the data, the percentage of female students enrolling in higher education has shown an upward trend over the 35-year period. Except for South Korea, all other countries had more than half of their female students enrolled in higher education by 2015. Australia and the USA had the highest percentages of female students enrolled in higher education, with both countries recording approximately 58%, while the UK and France had slightly lower percentages at around 55% and 54%, respectively.


Among the five countries, Australia had the most consistent trend in terms of the percentage of female students enrolling in higher education, remaining at 58% throughout the 35-year period. South Korea, on the other hand, recorded the most significant increase, with the percentage of female students enrolling in higher education doubling from around 15% in 1980 to 30% in 2015, albeit still the lowest among the countries.


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Sample Report 2

The presented bar chart showcases the progress made in female higher education enrolment over the course of 35 years, from 1980 to 2015, across five nations: the UK, the USA, Australia, South Korea, and France.


Overall, the chart illustrates a significant surge in female enrolment in higher education in all of the five countries. Interestingly, over half of the female population in higher education was recorded in all countries except for South Korea.


In terms of the individual country performance, four countries saw an increase in the proportion of females pursuing higher education. Among them, South Korea demonstrated the most remarkable progress, with a two-fold growth in the percentage of female students from 15% to 30%. Conversely, France recorded the smallest growth rate of only 4%, with the proportion increasing from 50% in 1980 to 54% in 2015.


Remarkably, Australian women maintained their highest percentage of higher education enrolment, remaining at 58% in both 1980 and 2015. However, this was the only country in the chart where the enrolment percentage did not increase, indicating a possible plateau in progress.



Sample Report 3

The presented bar chart depicts the changes in the proportions of female learners enrolled in higher education in five distinct nations in 1980 and 2015.


Broadly speaking, with the exception of Australia, there was a significant increase in the percentage of female high school graduates enrolling in higher education over the 35-year period. Among the five countries, South Korea recorded the lowest rate of female students enrolled in higher education.


Examining the chart in more detail, the UK and the USA displayed a similar trend with respect to women's participation rates in higher education. Over the course of 35 years, above 50% of female students opted to pursue higher education, compared to just over 30% of female school-leavers in 1980. The percentage of female students enrolled in university in Australia, hovering just below 60% in both years, remained stable over the 35-year period.


When compared to other nations, France observed a marginal increase in the proportion of female school-leavers enrolling in higher education, rising from 50% in 1985 to approximately 52% in 2015. Despite a surge from around 14% in 1980 to 30% in 2015, South Korea still displayed the lowest rate on the chart.


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