The time spent at leisure and household activities in Britain

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Combinations

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IELTS Writing Task 1 Question

The table and chart below show the time spent at leisure and household activities in Britain. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Common Questions for the Table and Bar Chart

1. Graph Type: Table and Bar Chart

2. Title: Time Spent on Leisure and Household Activities in Britain

3. What are the units of measurement?: Time in minutes per day

4. Who: Men and women in Britain

5. When: Not specified (example uses 2008)

6. Where: Britain

7. Topic: Comparison of time allocation for household and leisure activities by gender

Comparison Showing and Trends Any change over time (such as an increase or a decrease) is a trend.

Comparison 1 : Household Activities

Details:

1. Cooking and Washing: Women spend 75 minutes daily, more than double the 30 minutes spent by men.

2. Shopping and Laundry: Women allocate 35 and 30 minutes, while men spend negligible time on these tasks.

3. Repair Work: Men spend 19 minutes, more than twice the time spent by women (8 minutes).

Comparison 2 : Leisure Activities

Details:

1. TV, Video, and Radio: Both genders spend around two hours daily, which is the most popular leisure activity.

2. Reading: Both spend roughly 20 minutes, with no significant difference.

3. Sports: Men spend slightly more time than women, though it remains the least time-consuming leisure activity.

Sample Answer

The bar chart and table compare the daily time men and women spend on household and leisure activities in Britain.

Overall, women spend more time on household tasks than men, except for repair work, while both genders allocate similar amounts of time to leisure activities.

In household activities, women dedicate 75 minutes daily to cooking and washing, more than double the 30 minutes spent by men. Compared to negligible contributions from men, shopping and laundry are also primarily done by women, who spend 35 and 30 minutes, respectively. Conversely, men spend 19 minutes on repair work, more than twice the time women allocate to this task (8 minutes).

Regarding leisure activities, watching TV, videos, and listening to the radio are the most popular, with both genders spending around two hours daily. Reading occupies about 20 minutes per day for both men and women, while sports receive the least attention, with men spending slightly more time than women.

Top 25 Vocabularies

Vocabulary	Type	Meaning	Synonyms	Examples
Contribution	Noun	The role played or input provided	Participation, Involvement	Men’s contribution to repair work is significant.
Leisure	Noun	Free time for enjoyment	Recreation, Relaxation	Leisure activities include TV, reading, and sports.
Popular	Adjective	Widely liked or preferred	Common, Favored	TV and radio are the most popular leisure activities.
Compare	Verb	To examine similarities and differences between two things	Contrast, Differentiate	“The bar chart compares the daily time spent by men and women.”
Spend	Verb	To use time or money for a particular purpose	Use, Devote	“Women spend more time on household tasks than men.”
Household	Adjective/Noun	Relating to the house or home, or activities in a home	Domestic, Home	“Women spend more time on household chores than men.”
Task	Noun	A piece of work to be done	Job, Duty	“Cooking and washing are common household tasks.”
Repair	Verb/Noun	To fix or restore something to its original state	Fix, Mend	“Men spend more time on repair work than women.”
Negligible	Adjective	So small or unimportant that it can be disregarded	Insignificant, Minimal	“Men’s contribution to laundry is negligible.”
Dedicate	Verb	To set aside for a particular purpose	Devote, Allocate	“Women dedicate more time to shopping and cooking.”
Contribute	Verb	To give or add something to a common resource	Add, Provide	“Men contribute significantly to repair work.”
Leisure	Noun	Time spent away from work or duties to relax or enjoy	Free time, Recreation	“Leisure activities include TV, reading, and sports.”
Popular	Adjective	Liked or enjoyed by many people	Common, Favored	“TV is a popular leisure activity.”
Time-consuming	Adjective	Taking a lot of time to do	Lengthy, Demanding	“Household chores can often be time-consuming.”
Minimal	Adjective	Very small or insignificant	Negligible, Minor	“Men’s time spent on laundry is minimal.”
Significant	Adjective	Having importance or value	Major, Notable	“Repair work is a significant task for men.”
Slightly	Adverb	To a small degree	Marginally, A little	“Men spend slightly more time on sports than women.”
Dominantly	Adverb	In a way that has the most influence or control	Predominantly, Chiefly	“Women dominantly perform household chores.”
Neglect	Verb	To fail to care for or attend to something	Ignore, Overlook	“Men tend to neglect tasks like laundry and cooking.”
Attract	Verb	To draw interest or attention	Draw, Appeal	“Sports activities attract less time than other leisure activities.”
Trend	Noun	A general direction in which something is developing	Pattern, Movement	“The trend shows that women spend more time on household chores.”
Increase	Verb/Noun	To become larger or greater	Grow, Rise	“The amount of time spent on leisure activities has increased.”
Minimal	Adjective	Slight or insignificant	Small, Negligible	“Sports receive minimal attention compared to other leisure activities.”
Vary	Verb	To differ or change	Differ, Change	“The time spent on different activities may vary between individuals.”
Allocate	Verb	To distribute or assign resources or time	Distribute, Assign	“Men allocate equal amounts of time to different leisure activities.”

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