Academic Writing Task 1 · table

Annual hours of leisure time spent by different age groups in Someland

The table below shows the hours of leisure time spent by people in different age groups in Homeland.

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

Hours Of Leisure Time Per Year In Someland

Activity	Teens	20s	30s	40s	50s	60s	70s
Watching TV/ videos	1,200	700	400	500	600	700	1,100
Socializing with 4 or less people	150	150	300	250	250	200	200
Socializing with 4 or more people	350	350	50	50	25	25	25
Individual exercise	150	100	200	200	50	75	150
Group exercise/ sport	450	350	200	150	50	0	0
Cinema	100	75	50	25	25	50	100

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.

Band 8 sample answer

The table illustrates the annual hours spent on six different leisure activities by seven distinct age groups in Someland. Overall, watching TV and videos is the most time-consuming activity for all cohorts, particularly among the youngest and oldest populations. Conversely, activities involving group participation tend to decrease significantly as individuals grow older.

Watching TV/videos dominates the data, peaking at 1,200 hours for teens and 1,100 hours for those in their 70s. In contrast, this activity reaches a low of 400 hours for people in their 30s. Socializing with four or more people is highly popular among teens and those in their 20s, both recording 350 hours, but this figure drops sharply to just 25 hours for those aged 50 and above.

Regarding physical activity, group exercise/sport is most prevalent among teens at 450 hours, yet it completely disappears for those in their 60s and 70s. Individual exercise shows a more varied pattern, peaking at 200 hours for people in their 30s and 40s. Finally, cinema attendance remains relatively low across all groups, fluctuating between 25 and 100 hours annually, with the highest engagement found among teens and the 70s age group.

191 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

How to write about 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.

dominates: has a commanding influence or is the largest
conversely: introducing a statement that reverses a previous one
prevalent: widespread in a particular area or time
fluctuating: rising and falling irregularly in number or amount
cohorts: groups of people with a shared characteristic
sharply: in a sudden and very noticeable way

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Watching TV/videos is the most popular leisure activity across all age groups, while group exercise and large-group socializing see significant declines as people age.

How long should an IELTS Task 1 answer be?

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 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.