Academic Writing Task 1 · table

Percentage of first-year students rating college resources as very good

The table below shows the percentage of first-year students who gave? very good? rating to the resources provided by a college, for three courses.

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

Percentage of first-year students who gave a very good rating to college resources

Course	Pre-course information	Teaching	Tutor	Resources (print)	Other resources
Economics	59%	95%	90%	81%	60%
Law	72%	62%	76%	70%	80%
Commerce	95%	95%	93%	86%	81%

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 proportion of first-year students who rated various college resources as 'very good' across three distinct courses: Economics, Law, and Commerce.

Overall, it is evident that Commerce students were the most satisfied, consistently awarding the highest ratings in every category. Conversely, Economics students reported the lowest satisfaction levels regarding pre-course information and other resources, despite being highly satisfied with teaching and tutoring.

Regarding teaching and tutor support, Commerce and Economics students expressed high levels of satisfaction. Specifically, 95% of students in both Commerce and Economics rated teaching as 'very good', while 93% of Commerce students and 90% of Economics students gave similar ratings for tutor support. In contrast, Law students were notably less satisfied with teaching, with only 62% providing a 'very good' rating, although their satisfaction with tutor support was higher at 76%.

In terms of resources, Commerce students again led with 86% for print resources and 81% for other resources. Economics students were relatively satisfied with print resources at 81%, but only 60% rated other resources highly. Law students showed moderate satisfaction, with 70% for print resources and 80% for other resources. Finally, pre-course information received the highest rating from Commerce students at 95%, compared to 72% for Law and a low of 59% for Economics.

211 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.

proportion: a part, share, or number considered in comparative relation
consistently: in every case or on every occasion
conversely: introducing a statement that reverses a previous one
notably: in a way that is worthy of attention
moderate: average in amount, intensity, quality, or degree
led: to be in the first or most advanced position

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, Commerce students consistently provided the highest ratings across all categories, while Economics students were the least satisfied with pre-course information and other resources.

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.