Top Grades Achieved by Male and Female Students (1960 and 2000)

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Combination Bar Graph

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IELTS Writing Task 1 Question

The charts below show the percentages of male and female students getting top grades in 1960 and 2000. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

9-Top Grades Achieved by Male and Female Students (1960 and 2000)

Common Questions for the Combination Bar Graph

1. Graph Type: Column Graph

2. Title: Top Grades Achieved by Male and Female Students (1960 and 2000)

3. Units of Measurement: Percentage of students achieving top grades

4. Who: Male and female students

5. When: 1960 and 2000

6. Where: Not specified, but generally applicable to a school or educational context

7. Topic: Comparison of male and female students achieving top grades in five subjects

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

Comparison 1: Male Students in 1960 and 2000

Details:

1. In 1960, slightly over 30% of boys achieved top grades in science and math, while only 10% excelled in arts.

2. By 2000, the percentage of boys scoring top grades in arts and humanities nearly doubled, yet science and math scores halved.

Comparison 2: Female Students in 1960 and 2000

Details:

1. In 1960, girls performed exceptionally well in languages (45%), arts (32%), and humanities (30%), but only 10% scored high in science and 5% in math.

2. In 2000, the percentages of girls achieving top grades in arts, languages, and humanities saw a moderate decline, while their performance in science and math remained stable.

Sample Answer

The column graphs illustrate the percentages of male and female students achieving top grades in five subjects—science, arts, maths, languages, and humanities—in the years 1960 and 2000.

Overall, girls consistently excelled in arts and languages, while boys performed better in science and maths.

In 1960, slightly over 30% of boys scored top grades in science and maths, whereas only 10% excelled in arts. In contrast, girls achieved higher scores in languages (45%), arts (32%), and humanities (30%), with only 10% scoring high in science and just 5% in maths.

By 2000, the performance of boys in arts and humanities had almost doubled, but their scores in science and maths had decreased to around 15%. The percentage of top scorers in languages remained unchanged. Girls, however, experienced a moderate decline in top grades in arts, languages, and humanities, while their scores in science and maths held steady. Notably, it is surprising that boys outperformed girls in humanities by 2000, indicating a shift in academic trends over the decades.

Top 28 Vocabularies

Vocabulary (type)	Type	Meaning	Synonyms	Examples
Proportion	Noun	A part or share of a whole	Percentage, fraction, ratio	“The proportion of boys scoring high in science was slightly over 30%.”
Excel	Verb	To perform exceptionally well	Succeed, shine, thrive	“Girls excelled in languages and arts.”
Achieve	Verb	To successfully reach a desired objective	Attain, accomplish, realize	“Students achieved top grades in various subjects.”
Moderate	Adverb	Average in amount, intensity, or degree	Average, reasonable, mild	“There was a moderate decline in girls’ top grades.”
Shift	Noun	A change or movement	Change, transition, alteration	“A shift in academic trends occurred over the decades.”
Illustrate	Verb	To show or explain using examples or visuals	Demonstrate, depict, portray	“The graphs illustrate the percentages of top scorers.”
Consistently	Adverb	In a steady and reliable manner	Regularly, uniformly, steadily	“Girls consistently excelled in arts and languages.”
Performance	Noun	The act of accomplishing a task	Achievement, result, execution	“Boys’ performance in arts improved over the decades.”
Decline	Verb	To decrease in quality, quantity, or importance	Decrease, reduce, drop	“Girls experienced a decline in top grades in humanities.”
Notable	Adjective	Worthy of attention	Remarkable, significant, outstanding	“It is notable that boys outperformed girls in humanities by 2000.”
Gender	Noun	The classification of male or female	Sex, category, group	“Gender differences in academic performance are evident.”
Academic	Adjective	Related to education or studies	Scholarly, educational	“The data highlight academic trends over time.”
Transition	Noun	A process of change from one state to another	Shift, change, progression	“The transition in boys’ performance in arts is remarkable.”
Outperform	Verb	To perform better than	Surpass, excel, exceed	“Boys outperformed girls in humanities by 2000.”
Decades	Noun	Periods of ten years	Eras, time spans	“The passage compares performance trends across decades.”
Steady	Adjective	Stable or unchanging	Constant, consistent, fixed	“Girls’ performance in science and maths remained steady.”
Compare	Verb	To examine similarities and differences	Contrast, evaluate, assess	“The graphs compare male and female performance across subjects.”
Subject	Noun	An area of study	Discipline, topic, field	“Science and maths were the strongest subjects for boys.”
Variation	Noun	A change or difference	Fluctuation, difference, diversity	“There was significant variation in performance across subjects.”
Prominent	Adjective	Important or well-known	Noticeable, distinguished, leading	“Girls had a prominent lead in language scores.”
Represent	Verb	To stand for or symbolize	Portray, signify, embody	“The data represent shifts in educational performance trends.”
Slightly	Adverb	To a small degree	Marginally, somewhat, mildly	“Boys’ performance in arts improved slightly over the decades.”
Hold steady	Verb	To remain unchanged	Stay constant, maintain, persist	“Girls’ scores in science and maths held steady.”
Academic trends	Noun	Patterns in educational performance or behavior	Educational patterns, study trends	“Academic trends shifted significantly over time.”
Surprising	Adjective	Unexpected or unusual	Shocking, astonishing, remarkable	“It is surprising that boys outperformed girls in humanities.”
Percentage	Noun	A portion of a whole expressed in hundredths	Proportion, fraction, part	“The percentage of top-scoring boys in science dropped by 2000.”
Achievement	Noun	Something accomplished through effort	Accomplishment, success, attainment	“The achievement of top grades was notable in certain subjects.”
Evident	Adjective	Clearly visible or understood	Apparent, clear, obvious	“Gender-based performance differences were evident.”

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