Academic Writing Task 1 · table

Independent film releases and ticket sales by genre in 2012

The table below gives information about UK independent films.

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

Independent films released in the UK and Republic of Ireland by genre 2012

Genre	Number of releases	% of all releases	% of income from ticket sales
Comedy	26	17.6	45.4
Horror	14	9.5	20.2
Biopic	1	0.7	9.1
Drama	35	23.6	8.3
Crime	7	4.7	4.7
Action	4	2.7	4.1
Documentary	35	23.6	2.9
Thriller	13	8.8	1.3
Romance	5	3.4	0.8
Other	8	5.4	3.2
Total	148	100	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 distribution of independent films released in the UK and the Republic of Ireland in 2012, categorised by genre, along with their respective shares of total ticket sales.

Overall, it is clear that drama and documentary films were the most frequently released genres, each accounting for 23.6% of the total 148 releases. In contrast, comedy films, despite representing a smaller share of releases at 17.6%, generated the highest proportion of income, contributing 45.4% of total ticket sales.

Regarding the number of releases, comedy followed the top two genres with 26 films (17.6%), while horror and thriller films made up 9.5% and 8.8% of the total, respectively. Conversely, the biopic genre had the fewest releases, with only one film, representing just 0.7% of the total.

In terms of financial performance, horror films were the second most successful, capturing 20.2% of ticket sales despite only accounting for 9.5% of releases. Interestingly, while drama and documentary films were the most common, their income shares were significantly lower at 8.3% and 2.9%, respectively. Other genres, such as romance, contributed the least to total ticket sales, accounting for a mere 0.8%.

189 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.

accounted for: represented a particular amount or proportion of something
dominated: had the most significant influence or largest share
respectively: in the order previously mentioned in the sentence
proportion: a part or share in relation to the whole
capturing: securing or obtaining a specific share of something
contrast: a striking difference between two or more things

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While drama and documentary films dominated the number of releases, comedy films accounted for the largest proportion of total ticket sales.

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.