Academic Writing Task 1 · table

Sales of Fairtrade-labelled coffee and bananas in five European countries

The tables below give information about sales of Fairtrade*-labelled coffee and bananas in 1999 and 2004 in five European countries. *Fairtrade: a category of products for which farmers from developing countries have been paid an officially agreed fair price.

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

Fairtrade-labelled coffee sales

Coffee	1999 (millions of Euros)	2004 (millions of Euros)
UK	1.5	20
Switzerland	3	6
Denmark	1.8	2
Belgium	1	1.7
Sweden	0.8	1

Fairtrade-labelled banana sales

Bananas	1999 (millions of Euros)	2004 (millions of Euros)
Switzerland	15	47
UK	1	5.5
Belgium	0.6	4
Sweden	1.8	1
Denmark	2	0.9

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 tables illustrate the revenue generated from Fairtrade-labelled coffee and bananas across five European nations between 1999 and 2004. Overall, there was a general upward trend in sales for both commodities, although some countries experienced declines in banana consumption.

Regarding coffee, the UK witnessed a dramatic surge in sales, rising from 1.5 million Euros in 1999 to 20 million Euros by 2004, making it the highest consumer by a significant margin. Switzerland also saw its coffee sales double from 3 million to 6 million Euros. The remaining countries—Denmark, Belgium, and Sweden—recorded more modest growth, with figures increasing to 2 million, 1.7 million, and 1 million Euros respectively.

In terms of bananas, Switzerland remained the primary market, with sales climbing substantially from 15 million to 47 million Euros. The UK and Belgium also experienced notable growth, with the former increasing from 1 million to 5.5 million Euros and the latter from 0.6 million to 4 million Euros. Conversely, Sweden and Denmark saw their banana sales figures contract, falling to 1 million and 0.9 million Euros respectively, representing a downward trend in these specific markets.

183 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.

surge: a sudden and powerful upward movement or increase
modest: relatively moderate or limited in amount or size
contract: to decrease in size, number, or range
dominant: having the most influence or being the largest
upward trend: a general direction in which something is developing
substantial: of considerable importance, size, or worth

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, sales of both products increased in most countries over the five-year period, with the UK and Switzerland emerging as the dominant markets for coffee and bananas respectively.

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.