Band 9: WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The bar chart below shows the employment of all male and female workers by occupation in the UK in the year 2005. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

The bar chart illustrates the proportion of male and female workers across nine different occupations in the UK in 2005.

Overall, it is clear that there were significant differences between male and female employment patterns. Men dominated traditionally male-oriented roles, while women were more concentrated in administrative and service-based occupations.

In terms of male-dominated occupations, managers and senior officials represented the largest proportion of male workers at approximately 22%, followed closely by skilled trades at around 19%. Men also accounted for a notable share of professional and associate professional roles, each at roughly 13%. By contrast, very few women worked in skilled trades, with the figure standing at just 2%.

Regarding female workers, administrative and secretarial roles accounted for the highest proportion at approximately 22%, making it the occupation with the greatest gender gap in favour of women. Personal service and sales and customer service were also predominantly female, at around 12% and 10% respectively.

In occupations such as professional and associate professional roles, the gap between men and women was considerably narrower, suggesting these fields were more gender-balanced compared to others.