Academic Writing Task 1 · table

Social and economic indicators for four countries in 1994: IELTS Writing Task 1 sample answer

An IELTS Writing Task 1 table question with a Band 8 sample answer, the chart redrawn with its data, the vocabulary that lifts the report and how to write about tables.
  • 185 words
  • Tables
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The table below shows social and economic indicators for four countries in 1994, according to United Nations statistics. Describe the information shown below in your own words. What implications do the indicators have for the countries?

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Social and economic indicators for four countries in 1994
IndicatorCanadaJapanPeruZaire
Annual income per person (in $US)11,10015,760160130
Life expectancy at birth76785147
Daily calorie supply per person3326286419271749
Adult literacy rate (%)99996834

Chart redrawn by BandLadder from the data in the original IELTS practice task. Many IELTS practice tasks come from the Cambridge IELTS series (Cambridge University Press & Assessment); all rights in the original tasks remain with their owners.

Model answer

Band 8 sample answer

Band 8185 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The table illustrates four social and economic indicators for Canada, Japan, Peru, and Zaire in 1994. Overall, it is evident that Canada and Japan significantly outperformed Peru and Zaire in terms of wealth, health, nutrition, and education.

Regarding economic and educational status, Japan recorded the highest annual income per person at $15,760, followed by Canada at $11,100. In stark contrast, Peru and Zaire reported much lower figures of $160 and $130, respectively. A similar pattern is observed in adult literacy rates, where Canada and Japan both achieved 99%, whereas Peru stood at 68% and Zaire at only 34%.

Health and nutritional metrics show a parallel trend. Life expectancy was highest in Japan at 78 years and Canada at 76 years, while Peru and Zaire lagged behind at 51 and 47 years. Furthermore, daily calorie supply per person was notably higher in the developed nations, peaking at 3326 in Canada and 2864 in Japan. Conversely, individuals in Peru and Zaire had access to significantly fewer calories, with supplies of 1927 and 1749 respectively, highlighting a substantial disparity in living standards between these two groups of countries.

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Tables

How to write about tables: tips and vocabulary

  • →Tables hide the trend: find the highest, lowest and biggest change yourself.
  • →Select; do not list every cell.
  • →Organise paragraphs by row or by column, whichever gives the clearer comparison.
  • outperformed

    performed better than another entity in a comparison

  • stark contrast

    a very clear and obvious difference between things

  • lagged behind

    to be slower or less successful than others

  • disparity

    a great difference between two or more things

  • notably

    in a way that is worthy of attention

  • respectively

    in the order previously mentioned in the text

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

The data reveals a clear divide between the two developed nations, Canada and Japan, and the two developing countries, Peru and Zaire, across all four measured indicators.

How many words and how long for IELTS Writing Task 1?+

At least 150 words; 170 to 200 is the safe range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

How is IELTS Writing Task 1 scored?+

On four criteria: task achievement, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary, and grammatical range and accuracy. A clear overview of the main features is what most separates Band 6 from Band 7 and above.

How do I describe tables?+

Tables hide the trend: find the highest, lowest and biggest change yourself. Select; do not list every cell. Organise paragraphs by row or by column, whichever gives the clearer comparison.

Keep practising

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