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BEST IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, 8th July
IELTS ACADEMIC WRITING TASK 1
IELTS ACADEMIC WRITING TASK 1
The table below gives information on education services in four Africa countries. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
| Kenya | Senegal | Tanzania | Uganda | |
| Share of teachers without required knowledge level: English / French | 10% | 29% | 9% | 4% |
| Mathematics | 75% | 75% | 73% | 36% |
| Classroom teacher absence rate | 47% | 29% | 53% | 57% |
| Daily classroom teaching time | 2h 19m | 3h 15m | 2h 04m | 2h 58m |
| (Schedule teaching time) | (5h 40m) | (4h 36m) | (5h 12m) | (7h 20m) |
SAMPLE ANSWER
The table is based on data on education services in public schools for four African countries, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda. It looks at the problems with teaching staff in four areas. Firstly, it measures the percentage of teachers that do not have the minimum required knowledge for the subjects of English or French and in Mathematics. Then it observes the percentage of teacher absence rate in each of the countries and the amount of daily teaching time performed.
Mathematics is the subject that is the worst represented for teachers. In Kenya, Senegal and Tanzania, three quarters of teachers do not have the required knowledge to teach the subject. In Uganda it is one third of teachers. The instruction of languages is less problematic, but still significant. Language teachers without adequate skills in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are at ten percent or less, while in Senegal it is at a level of nearly 30%.
The absence rate of teachers is extremely high in three of the countries with teachers being absent for approximately 50% or more of the time. Senegal has a lower, but no less concerning, level of 29%. Absent teachers no doubt affect the daily hours that students are taught which average out to between 2 and 3 hours a day in all four countries. Uganda has the worst offenders, with teachers being absent from the classroom 57% of the time.
In the graph, these figures are compared with the amount of teaching time that is actually scheduled. It is given in minutes, and these are in line with absence rate percentages. Uganda has the longest scheduled school day at 7 hours and twenty minutes but the students are receiving instruction for less than three hours a day.
