Write your own answer first20 minutes and at least 150 words, like the real test. Use the editor below, then compare with the Band 8 model answer.
Tables look easy but are often the hardest Task 1 question, because there is no picture to show you the pattern, just lots of numbers. The skill being tested is selection: finding the highest, lowest and most unusual figures and comparing them. Here is a method for reading a table quickly, a practice question, a Band 8 model answer and the vocabulary to use.
How Task 1 is marked#
You have 20 minutes and must write at least 150 words. Task 1 is worth one third of your Writing score, and is marked on four criteria: Task Achievement (an accurate overview and key features), Coherence and Cohesion (logical grouping and linking), Lexical Resource (precise vocabulary) and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
The 4-paragraph structure for a table#
| Paragraph | What to write | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Introduction | Paraphrase the question in one sentence: what, where, when. | 1 sentence |
| 2. Overview | The 2–3 most important features, with no numbers. | 2 sentences |
| 3. Body 1 | The first group of details, with figures and comparisons. | 3–4 sentences |
| 4. Body 2 | The second group of details. | 3–4 sentences |
How to describe a table#
- Scan each row and each column for the highest and lowest value. Circle them on the question paper. They are your main material.
- Look for the exception: one city, year or group that doesn’t follow the pattern. Examiners love to see this in the overview.
- Decide how to group: by row (each city) or by column (each type of transport). Choose whichever produces more comparisons.
- Don’t try to mention every number. With 16 figures, 8–10 well-chosen ones are plenty.
Practice question#
The table below shows the percentage of commuters who used four types of transport to travel to work in four cities in 2024.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
| City | Car | Public transport | Bicycle | Walking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amberton | 52% | 28% | 8% | 12% |
| Bridgeford | 21% | 55% | 9% | 15% |
| Carlow | 34% | 30% | 26% | 10% |
| Dunmore | 45% | 25% | 3% | 27% |
The figures are invented for practice, like real IELTS Task 1 questions.
Essay practice editor
Model answer (Band 8 style)
Write your own answer first, then compare structure and vocabulary. Task 1 (Academic): table · 187 words.
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The table shows the percentage of commuters in four cities who travelled to work by car, public transport or bicycle, or on foot, in 2024.
Overall, the car was the most common way to commute in three of the four cities, the exception being Bridgeford, where public transport dominated. Cycling was the least popular option in most cities, but Carlow stood out with a much higher rate.
Car use was highest in Amberton, where just over half of commuters (52%) drove to work, and in Dunmore (45%). In Carlow the figure was about a third (34%), while in Bridgeford only 21% of people commuted by car. Instead, more than half of Bridgeford’s commuters (55%) used public transport, roughly double the proportion in Amberton (28%) and Dunmore (25%).
As for cycling and walking, Carlow had by far the highest share of cyclists, at 26%, compared with under 10% in every other city and only 3% in Dunmore. Walking, on the other hand, was most common in Dunmore, where more than a quarter of people (27%) went to work on foot, almost three times the rate in Carlow (10%).
Overview built on exceptions
Car is the norm, except in Bridgeford; cycling is low, except in Carlow. That is exactly what the examiner wants to see.
Selection
Only the figures that tell the story are used; similar middle values are grouped (“under 10% in every other city”).
Comparisons with figures
*roughly double the proportion in…*, *almost three times the rate in…*, *by far the highest share*.
Cohesion
*Instead*, *As for*, *on the other hand* and *the exception being* link ideas smoothly.
Want your own writing scored? With Worddemy Pro, paste it into the app and get a band score with feedback on all four criteria.
Useful language for tables#
| Purpose | Words and phrases |
|---|---|
| Introduce the table | The table shows / presents / provides data on… |
| Highlight extremes | by far the highest · the lowest figure was recorded in · stood out · the exception being |
| Compare rows/columns | roughly double · almost three times · compared with · while · whereas |
| Group similar data | between 25% and 30% · under 10% in every other city · similar figures were seen in |
| Approximate | just over half · about a third · nearly a quarter · roughly · approximately |
Common mistakes#
- Reading the table row by row and writing every number: this is the most common Band 5–6 pattern.
- No overview because “there is no trend”. Tables still have patterns: the highest, the lowest and the exceptions.
- Inaccurate approximations, e.g. calling 34% “almost half”. Approximations must be true.
- Mixing up number (countable things) and amount (uncountable): “the number of commuters”, “the amount of traffic”.
More Task 1 guides#
Each guide has a practice question, a 20-minute editor and a Band 8 model answer:
New to Task 1? Start with the complete IELTS Writing Task 1 guide, and learn how to describe trends and choose the right tense.