Describing tables
When describing tables, you can often use a lot
of the same language you studied for graphs. Exam tips
Tables can sometimes be confusing because you A useful first sentence for
can read them from left to right or top to bottom. many Task 1 questions is:
It is a good idea to put a circle around the facts "The pie chart (or graph or
you want to describe at the beginning when you table etc.)
are planning and make a few notes about the shows/illustrates...."
most important numbers.
Practise Exercise One
The table below shows which courses students chose to study
at a language school in London. The information in the table
covers the years 1997, 1998 and 1999. Look at the table and
choose the facts that you think will be interesting to describe:
Total General Exam Holiday Study+Work
Year
Students English Courses Courses Courses
1997 400 150 60 150 40
1998 500 150 80 200 70
1999 350 140 80 50 80
Answer these questions to help you think It is very important to
about the table: keep your answer as
When did the school have the greatest number organised as possible. It is
of students? often a good idea to spend
Which was the most popular course and in two or three minutes
what year? planning the order of your
Which course has the greatest fluctuation in answer to make sure it is
student numbers? well-organised.
Which courses are increasing in popularity?
Which course has the steadiest student
Make sure you describe
numbers?
the facts correctly in Task
1 questions. If you
describe the facts
inaccurately, you will lose
marks. Do not write your
opinion - just describe the
information.
Practise Exercise Two
Read the description of the table below. Some of the facts are not
described correctly. Find the mistakes and correct them. Make a note
of your answers and then check them.
Total General Exam Holiday Study+Work
Year
Students English Courses Courses Courses
1997 400 150 60 150 40
1998 500 150 80 200 70
1999 350 140 80 50 80
The table shows which courses students chose at a London language school in
the years 1996, 1997 and 1998.
It can be seen that 1998 was a good year for the school, with the highest total
number of students (450). However, the following year student numbers fell to
below their 1997 level.
The number of students enrolling on General English Courses remained
steady over the period shown on the graph, but the popularity of Exam Courses
fluctuated dramatically, peaking at 200 students in 1998, but dropping to 80
students in 1999. Interestingly, these courses were the most popular in 1998,
but the least popular the following year.
Exam Courses were the least popular option in 1997, but they became more
popular, with 60 and 80 students enrolling in 1998 and 1999 respectively.
Study+Work Courses increased in popularity over the period: the table shows
that the number of students enrolling on these courses doubled.
Practise your Task One Vocabulary
Now practise describing tables by answering this IELTS Task One type question. (By the way,
the figures are not true - it's just an example). When you have finished, you can compare your
answer with our model essay.
The table below shows information about the average length of stay and spend of overseas
visitors to Australia. Describe the table. You should write about 150 words.
1994 1995 1996
Length of stay (days) 9.2 10 9
Spend per visit (A$) 487 499 630
Spend per day (A$) 50.5 49.9 70
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Answers
When did the school have the greatest number of students? 1998
Which was the most popular course and in what year? Holiday Courses in
1998
Which course has the greatest fluctuation in student numbers? Holiday
Courses
Which courses are increasing in popularity? Exam Courses &
Study+Work Courses
Which course has the steadiest student numbers? General English
Answers
The correct answers are in red.
The table shows which courses students chose at a London language school
in the years 1997, 1998 and 1999.
It can be seen that 1998 was a good year for the school, with the highest
total number of students (500). However, the following year student
numbers fell to below their 1997 level.
The number of students enrolling on General English Courses remained
steady over the period shown on the graph, but the popularity of Holiday
Courses fluctuated dramatically, peaking at 200 students in 1998, but
dropping to 50 students in 1999. Interestingly, these courses were the most
popular in 1998, but the least popular the following year.
Study+Work Courses were the least popular option in 1997, but they
became more popular, with 70 and 80 students enrolling in 1998 and 1999
respectively. Study+Work Courses increased in popularity over the period: the
table shows that the number of students enrolling on these courses doubled.
