The number of hours each teacher spent teaching in different schools in four different countries in 2001

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Bar Chart

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IELTS Writing Task 1 Question

The bar charts below show the number of hours each teacher spent teaching in different schools in four different countries in 2001. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. You should write at least 150 words.

Common Questions for the Bar Chart

1. Diagram Type: Bar Chart

2. Title: Average Teaching Hours in 2001 by Country and School Level

3. What are the units of measurement? Number of hours

4. Who: Teachers in Japan, Spain, Iceland, and the USA

5. When: 2001

6. Where: Japan, Spain, Iceland, USA

7. Topic: Comparison of teaching hours across four countries for primary, lower secondary, and higher secondary school levels

Detailed Process and Observations

Summary of Data :

The bar charts compare the number of hours teachers spent teaching in primary, lower secondary, and higher secondary schools in four countries (Japan, Spain, Iceland, and the USA) in 2001.

1. Primary School :

Teachers in Japan, Spain, and Iceland spent roughly 600 hours teaching primary school students. In contrast, teachers in the USA spent the most time, approximately 750 hours, in primary schools.

2. Lower Secondary School :

US teachers spent the most time (1000 hours) at the lower secondary level, followed by teachers in Spain (750 hours). Teachers in Japan and Iceland spent about 600 hours each.

3. Higher Secondary School :

At the higher secondary level, US teachers continued to spend the most time (1200 hours), while teachers in Iceland and Spain spent around 900 hours, and Japanese teachers spent only about 700 hours.

Sample Answer

The bar charts illustrate the average number of hours teachers spent teaching at different school levels in Japan, Spain, Iceland, and the USA in 2001.

Overall, teachers in the USA spent significantly more time teaching at all school levels compared to their counterparts in the other three countries, and the teaching time generally increased with the school level.

At the primary school level, teachers in Japan, Spain, and Iceland each spent roughly 600 hours teaching, while US teachers spent the most time, at approximately 750 hours. At the lower secondary level, teachers in the USA spent the most hours—about 1000—followed by Spanish teachers, who spent around 750 hours. Teachers in Japan and Iceland spent about 600 hours at this level.

The most significant difference is seen at the higher secondary school level, where US teachers spent approximately 1200 hours, 300 hours more than those in Iceland and Spain, who spent around 900 hours. Japanese teachers spent the least time, around 700 hours.

Top 27 Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meaning	Synonyms	Examples	Type
Duration	The length of time something lasts	Length, period, span	US teachers spent the longest duration teaching primary students.	Noun
Disbursed	Distributed or allotted	Allocated, assigned	Spanish teachers disbursed 750 hours on lower secondary education.	Verb
Mentor	A teacher or advisor	Instructor, guide	A US mentor spent 1000 hours teaching lower secondary students.	Noun/Verb
Pupil	A student, especially in a primary or secondary school	Student, learner	Japanese teachers spent 700 hours with higher secondary pupils.	Noun
Significant	Sufficiently great or important to be noticed	Notable, considerable	A significant difference in hours was observed in the higher secondary level.	Adjective
Illustrate	To explain or make something clear using visuals or examples	Depict, demonstrate	“The bar charts illustrate the hours spent teaching in different countries.”	Verb
Average	A calculated central value of a set of numbers	Mean, median	“The average teaching hours varied across school levels.”	Adjective
Level	A specific stage or rank	Stage, tier	“The teaching hours increased with the school level.”	Noun
Counterpart	A person or thing having the same role in a different place	Equivalent, peer	“US teachers spent more hours teaching than their counterparts in Iceland.”	Noun
Primary	Relating to the first stage of education	Elementary, foundational	“Teachers spent 600 hours teaching at the primary level in Japan.”	Adjective
Secondary	Relating to education following primary education	Intermediate, high school	“Teaching hours increased at the lower and higher secondary levels.”	Adjective
Approximately	Close to but not exactly	Roughly, about	“US teachers spent approximately 1200 hours at the higher secondary level.”	Adverb
Distribution	The way something is shared or spread	Allocation, division	“The distribution of teaching hours varied by school level and country.”	Noun
Variation	A difference or change in condition or amount	Difference, disparity	“There was a noticeable variation in teaching hours across the countries.”	Noun
Exceed	To go beyond a set limit	Surpass, overtake	“US teachers exceeded 1000 hours of teaching at the lower secondary level.”	Verb
Noteworthy	Deserving attention due to importance or significance	Remarkable, significant	“The most noteworthy difference was seen at the higher secondary level.”	Adjective
Contrast	A clear difference between two or more things	Difference, distinction	“The charts show a contrast in teaching hours between Japan and the USA.”	Noun
Peak	The highest or most intense point	Summit, apex	“The peak teaching hours were recorded in the USA at 1200 hours.”	Noun
Range	The extent between the lowest and highest values	Span, scope	“The range of teaching hours was largest at the higher secondary level.”	Noun
Trend	A general direction or pattern	Pattern, movement	“The trend shows an increase in hours with higher school levels.”	Noun
Emphasize	To give special importance or prominence to something	Highlight, underscore	“The passage emphasizes the significant time difference in teaching hours.”	Verb
Dominant	Having the most control or influence	Leading, prevailing	“US teachers were dominant in terms of teaching hours across all levels.”	Adjective
Proportion	A part or share of a whole	Fraction, percentage	“A higher proportion of teaching hours was spent at the higher secondary level.”	Noun
Allocate	To distribute resources or tasks for a specific purpose	Assign, apportion	“Teachers allocated more time to higher secondary education in the USA.”	Verb
Demonstrate	To show clearly by providing evidence	Exhibit, illustrate	“The graph demonstrates the teaching hours across different countries.”	Verb
Noticeable	Easily seen or detected	Apparent, evident	“There was a noticeable increase in teaching hours in the USA from primary to secondary.”	Adjective
Decline	A gradual decrease in value, number, or intensity	Reduction, drop	“Teaching hours in Japan showed a decline at the higher secondary level.”	Noun

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