Academic Writing Task 1 · table

Survey responses from club members and the public regarding a theatre

The tables below show responses to a questionnaire given by two groups of people (club members and the general public) who showed their opinions about a new theatre.

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

Production quality

	Excellent	Satisfactory	Poor
Club members	70%	17%	13%
General public	67%	18%	15%

Information about the plays/performances to the public

	Excellent	Satisfactory	Poor
Club members	72%	23%	5%
General public	88%	10%	2%

Facilities in the theatre

	Excellent	Satisfactory	Poor
Club members	75%	23%	2%
General public	55%	19%	26%

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 tables illustrate the feedback from club members and the general public regarding three aspects of a new theatre: production quality, information provided, and the theatre facilities.

Regarding production quality, both groups expressed high levels of satisfaction. Exactly 70% of club members rated the quality as excellent, a figure closely mirrored by the general public at 67%. The remaining respondents were split between satisfactory and poor ratings, with the general public showing slightly higher dissatisfaction at 15% compared to 13% for club members.

In terms of information provided about performances, the general public was notably more impressed, with 88% rating it as excellent, compared to 72% of club members. Conversely, club members were more critical, with 23% finding the information satisfactory and 5% poor. Finally, regarding theatre facilities, a stark contrast emerged. While 75% of club members rated the facilities as excellent, only 55% of the general public shared this view. Furthermore, over a quarter of the general public (26%) described the facilities as poor, whereas only 2% of club members held this negative opinion, suggesting a significant disparity in how these two groups experienced the theatre's amenities.

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.

mirrored: reflected or showed a very similar pattern
stark contrast: a very clear and obvious difference between things
disparity: a great difference between two or more things
notably: in a way that is worthy of attention
conversely: in a way that is the opposite
proportion: a part or share in relation to whole

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, both groups generally held positive views, although the general public was significantly less satisfied with the theatre facilities compared to club members.

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.