Academic Writing Task 1 · table

Sleep patterns of individuals across five distinct professional occupations in Canada

The chart below shows the sleep patterns of people in five different occupations according to a Canadian study.

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

Sleep patterns of people in five different occupations

Occupation	Student	Truck Driver	Full-time mother	Business Executive	Doctor
6-7 pm	awake	asleep	awake	awake	awake
7-8 pm	awake	awake	awake	awake	awake
8-9 pm	awake	awake	awake	awake	awake
9-10 pm	awake	awake	awake	awake	awake
10-11 pm	awake	awake	asleep	awake	awake
11-12 pm	asleep	awake	asleep	asleep	awake
12-1 am	asleep	awake	asleep	asleep	awake
1-2 am	asleep	awake	awake	asleep	asleep
2-3 am	asleep	awake	awake	asleep	asleep
3-4 am	asleep	awake	asleep	asleep	awake
4-5 am	asleep	awake	asleep	asleep	asleep
5-6 am	asleep	awake	asleep	awake	asleep
6-7 am	asleep	awake	awake	awake	asleep
7-8 am	awake	asleep	awake	awake	awake
8-9 am	awake	asleep	awake	awake	awake
9-10 am	awake	asleep	awake	awake	awake
10-11 am	awake	awake	awake	awake	awake
11-12 am	awake	awake	awake	awake	awake
12-1 pm	awake	awake	awake	awake	awake
1-2 pm	awake	awake	asleep	awake	awake
2-3 pm	awake	awake	asleep	awake	awake
3-4 pm	awake	awake	awake	awake	awake
4-5 pm	awake	asleep	awake	awake	awake
5-6 pm	awake	asleep	awake	awake	awake

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 provided table details the sleep patterns of five different occupations based on a Canadian study. Overall, it is evident that sleep schedules vary considerably depending on the profession, with some groups maintaining a single block of rest while others experience fragmented sleep.

Students follow a conventional nocturnal sleep pattern, remaining asleep from 11 pm until 7 am. Conversely, doctors exhibit a more irregular schedule, sleeping in two distinct blocks: from 1 am to 4 am and again from 5 am to 7 am. Business executives also follow a nocturnal pattern, sleeping from 11 pm to 5 am, though they wake up earlier than students.

In contrast, truck drivers and full-time mothers have highly fragmented sleep. Truck drivers sleep during the day, specifically from 7 am to 10 am and again from 4 pm to 6 pm, with an additional hour of sleep from 6 pm to 7 pm. Full-time mothers also experience broken sleep, resting from 10 pm to 12 am, 3 am to 6 am, and during the afternoon between 1 pm and 3 pm. These findings highlight the diverse and often unconventional rest requirements necessitated by different professional and domestic roles.

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.

fragmented: broken into separate parts or intervals of time
nocturnal: occurring or active primarily during the night
conventional: following traditional or standard ways of behaving
irregular: not occurring at expected or consistent times
distinct: clearly different or recognizable from others
necessitated: made something necessary as a result

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

The chart illustrates significant variations in sleep schedules among five occupations, with students and doctors exhibiting the most distinct nocturnal patterns compared to the fragmented sleep of others.

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.