IELTS Writing Task 1 table: sample answers and how to write one
IELTS Writing Task 1 table sample answers at band 6.5, 7.5 and 9, with a structure to follow, how to select and group figures, and the mistakes that cost marks.
Tables are where selection matters most, because every figure is printed and it is tempting to copy them all. High-band answers find the highest and lowest values, group rows or columns that behave alike, and point out the one that goes against the pattern.
4 table sample answers
Each question is answered three times — at about band 6.5, 7.5 and 9 — with commentary on every criterion, so you can see exactly what moves the score.
- Home ownership and renting by age groupTwenty years of housing tenure across five age groups, where renters overtake owners in one group and the oldest overtake everyone — two ranking changes the weakest answer reads past.Band 6.5 · 7.5 · 9 — 187 / 202 / 235 words
- Household waste and recycling in five citiesFive cities, two measures and two years: every recycling rate rose, but only two cities really moved, and the early leader ended up third.Band 6.5 · 7.5 · 9 — 183 / 198 / 227 words
- International enrolment across five subject areasA table of enrolment figures in which one subject supplies over half the total growth and another is the only one falling — the answers differ entirely in whether they spot that.Band 6.5 · 7.5 · 9 — 170 / 184 / 200 words
- Island visitors by origin and what they spendA table where the biggest market is also the cheapest and the only one shrinking — and where the answers differ in whether they set numbers against spending at all.Band 6.5 · 7.5 · 9 — 181 / 198 / 222 words
How to structure a table answer
- 1Introduction. Paraphrase what the table measures, for which groups, and when.
- 2Overview. The main pattern and the most striking exception — for example, the category that grew while all the others fell.
- 3Body paragraph 1. The rows or columns that share the main pattern, with the figures that show it.
- 4Body paragraph 2. The exceptions and extremes, compared with the main group.
Useful language for a table
Selecting
- the highest figure was
- at the other end of the scale
- the most notable exception
- stood out as
- by far the largest
Grouping
- a similar pattern was seen in
- all three
- with the exception of
- likewise
- the remaining categories
Quantifying differences
- nearly three times as high as
- a difference of
- just under
- almost identical
Mistakes that cost marks
- Copying the table row by row, which is a band 5–6 approach to selection.
- Giving no overview because every figure seems equally important.
- Comparing figures that measure different things, such as a percentage with a total.
Now write one yourself.
Timed Task 1 practice with an AI band for each criterion.
Common questions
How do I choose which figures to include from a table?
Start with the highest and lowest values, then look for rows or columns that follow the same pattern and any that break it. Include figures that support those points and leave the rest out.
Should I organise a table answer by rows or columns?
Organise by whatever shows the pattern best. If the main story is a difference between groups, go by group; if it is a change over time, go by time. Grouping similar rows together is better than following the table's order.
Is it wrong to include many numbers?
Numbers are not wrong in themselves, but a table answer that includes most of the figures has not selected the main features, which is what the task asks for.