Academic Writing Task 1 · table

Internet usage patterns across six different categories by age group

The table below gives information on internet use in six categories by age group. Describe the information in the table and make comparisons where appropriate.

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

Internet use by age group and activity

Activity%	Teens	20s	30s	40s	50s
Get News	76	73	76	75	71
Online games	81	54	37	29	25
Downloads	52	46	27	15	13
Product research	0	79	80	83	79
Buying a product	43	68	69	68	67
Searching for people	5	31	23	23	24

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 percentage of internet users across five age groups engaging in six distinct online activities. Overall, the data reveals that while news consumption is uniformly high across all demographics, other activities show significant variation based on age.

Getting news is the most stable activity, with participation rates ranging from 71% among those in their 50s to 76% for both teens and those in their 30s. In contrast, online gaming and downloading files are heavily skewed towards younger users. Teens are the most active in these categories, with 81% playing games and 52% downloading files. These figures decline sharply with age, reaching lows of 25% for gaming and 13% for downloads among the 50s age group.

Conversely, product research and purchasing are more prevalent among older users. Notably, product research is virtually non-existent for teens at 0%, but it peaks at 83% for those in their 40s. Similarly, buying products online is least popular with teens at 43%, while the other age groups maintain a steady engagement level between 67% and 69%. Finally, searching for people is most common among those in their 20s at 31%, compared to only 5% for teens.

194 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.

skewed: biased or leaning towards a specific group
prevalent: widespread or common in a particular area
uniformly: remaining the same in all cases and situations
decline: a gradual and continuous decrease in numbers
peaks: reaches the highest point or level possible
engagement: the level of involvement or participation shown

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While getting news remains consistently popular across all ages, younger users dominate gaming and downloads, whereas older groups show a strong preference for product-related activities.

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.