IELTS Writing Task 1 table: how to describe it, with Band 7 and Band 9 samples
Last verified 8 October 2026 · 5 min read · ieltspractice.app
Quick answer
In a Task 1 table question, you choose the most important numbers and compare them in at least 150 words, in about 20 minutes. Use four parts: paraphrase the question, write an overview without numbers, then two detail paragraphs. Band 7 and Band 9 samples follow.
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What does a Task 1 table question look like?
A table shows numbers in rows and columns. In IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, you describe it in your own words, without giving reasons or opinions.
Tables are harder than charts in one way: there is no picture to show you the pattern. You have to find it yourself. Our practice table has 15 numbers, and listing them all would leave no room to compare.
Our practice table shows how students at one college travelled to class in three years. The college and the numbers are invented for practice. They are not real statistics.
Practice task: how students travel to class
The table below shows how students at one college travelled to class in 2005, 2015 and 2025, as a percentage of all students. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
How students travelled to class (% of students)
| Travel mode | 2005 | 2015 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk | 22 | 18 | 16 |
| Bicycle | 8 | 12 | 21 |
| Bus | 30 | 34 | 31 |
| Car | 35 | 28 | 17 |
| Train | 5 | 8 | 15 |
Write at least 150 words.
How do I find the main features in a table?
Spend two or three minutes on the table before you write, and look for these things.
The biggest number in each column. In 2005 the car was the most common mode, at 35%. In 2015 and 2025 the bus was.
The biggest changes from first year to last. Car use roughly halved, from 35% to 17%. Cycling went from 8% to 21%, and the train from 5% to 15%.
What stayed the same. The bus stayed between 30% and 34% in all three years.
Now group the rows: modes that fell (car and walking), modes that grew (bicycle and train) and the one that stayed steady (bus). Each group can become one detail paragraph. For a step-by-step method, read how to describe a graph or chart.
How to structure a table answer
Paraphrase the question (1 sentence)
Say what the table shows in your own words. For example, “how students at one college travelled to class” can become “the ways in which students got to college”. See our guide to paraphrasing.
Write an overview with no numbers (2 sentences)
An overview sums up the main points in one or two sentences. Give the main change and the main pattern. Here: the car lost its top place to the bus, and cycling and the train grew strongly.
Detail paragraph 1: the falling modes
Give figures for the car and walking, the two modes that fell. Include the start and end years.
Detail paragraph 2: the growing and steady modes
Give figures for the bicycle and the train, then the bus. You do not need the middle year for every row, only where it adds something, such as the bus peak in 2015.
How to plan your time in Task 1
IELTS says you should spend no more than 20 minutes on Task 1, and Task 2 counts twice as much. So keep to a simple plan like this one.
Minutes 1 to 3: read and group. Find the main features of the table and decide which items go in each detail paragraph.
Minutes 4 to 6: introduction and overview. Write one sentence that paraphrases the question and two sentences of overview.
Minutes 7 to 16: two detail paragraphs. Add the figures for the main features and compare them.
Minutes 17 to 20: check. Check every number against the table. Then look for small errors, such as “less” for “fewer”, a missing “the” or the wrong tense.
| What | What IELTS says |
|---|---|
| The task | Describe visual information (a graph, table, chart or diagram) in your own words |
| Length | At least 150 words |
| Time | About 20 minutes |
| What it tests | A well-organised overview of the visual information |
| Style | An academic or semi-formal/neutral style |
| How to write | Full sentences, not notes or bullet points |
| Marking criteria | Task achievement (Task 1) or Task response (Task 2), Coherence and cohesion, Lexical resource, and Grammatical range and accuracy |
| Task 1 and Task 2 | Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score |
Useful language for describing a table
To point at a number: “the figure for cars”, “the proportion of students who cycled”, “the share of students taking the bus”. A proportion is a part of a whole, like a percentage.
To describe change over several years: “fell steadily”, “roughly halved”, “nearly tripled”, “peaked at 34% in 2015”, “remained fairly stable”. To peak means to reach the highest point.
To compare rows: “The bus was more popular than the car in 2025”, “Cycling overtook walking”, “The train was the least common mode in every year”.
To link ideas: “whereas”, “by contrast”, “similarly” and “over the same period”. Our list of IELTS linking words has more. The years are in the past, so use the past simple.
Band 7 table sample answer
Here is a Band 7 answer to the travel task. It is a good answer, but read the notes to see what holds it back.
Band 7 sample
Academic Task 1Answer to the college travel table task above.
Our team wrote this sample to show what the public band descriptors describe.
The table gives information about how students in a college travel to class(note 1) in 2005, 2015 and 2025.
Overall, fewer students used the car and walked, but more students used bicycles and trains.(note 2) The bus was popular in all three years.
In 2005, the car was the most popular way with 35%, and the bus was 30%. In 2015, the car went down to 28% and the bus went up to 34%, so the bus became the most popular(note 3). In 2025, the car was only 17%, which is about half of 2005(note 4), while the bus was 31%. Walking also went down slowly, from 22% to 18% and then 16%.
Bicycles and trains increased a lot. The bicycle was 8% in 2005, 12% in 2015 and 21% in 2025(note 5), so it became the second most popular way. The train was only 5% in 2005, but it reached to 15%(note 6) in 2025, which was three times more(note 7).
Notes on this answer
GRAGrammatical range and accuracy
“how students in a college travel to class”: The years are in the past, so the verb should be “travelled”.
TATask achievement
“Overall, fewer students used the car and walked, but more students used bicycles and trains.”: A clear overview of the trends with no numbers. It does not say that the bus took over as the most common mode.
TATask achievement
“so the bus became the most popular”: Good: this change in the top position is a main feature, and it is reported.
LRLexical resource
“which is about half of 2005”: Unclear: half of what? Say “about half the figure for 2005”.
CCCoherence and cohesion
“The bicycle was 8% in 2005, 12% in 2015 and 21% in 2025”: Every number in a row is listed. Giving the start and end, and describing the change, reads better.
GRAGrammatical range and accuracy
“reached to 15%”: “Reach” takes no preposition (a small linking word such as at, in or to): “reached 15%”.
LRLexical resource
“which was three times more”: Imprecise: some readers take “three times more” to mean four times. “Tripled” or “three times the 2005 figure” is exact.
Why Band 7: The answer has a clear overview and accurate figures, organised in sensible paragraphs. It lists some numbers instead of describing them, repeats simple verbs and has a few small errors.
Band 9 table sample answer
Here is a Band 9 answer to the same task. Notice how it chooses only the numbers that tell the story.
Band 9 sample
Academic Task 1Answer to the college travel table task above.
Our team wrote this sample to show what the public band descriptors describe.
The table shows the proportion of students at one college who used five different ways of travelling to class in 2005, 2015 and 2025.
Overall, the car lost its place as the most common way of getting to college, and the bus took the lead.(note 1) Cycling and train travel both became far more popular, so by 2025 students’ choices were spread much more evenly across the five modes(note 2).
In 2005, more than a third of students came by car, at 35%, slightly more than the 30% who took the bus. Over the following two decades, however, car use roughly halved, to 17%.(note 3) Bus use, by contrast, remained fairly stable, peaking at 34% in 2015 before easing to 31%(note 4), which made it the most popular option in the last two years shown.
The largest rise was in cycling(note 5), which climbed from just 8% to 21% and became the second most common mode. Train travel followed a similar upward path(note 6), tripling from 5% to 15%. Walking was the only other mode to fall over the whole period(note 7), declining gradually from 22% to 18% and then to 16%.
Notes on this answer
TATask achievement
“Overall, the car lost its place as the most common way of getting to college, and the bus took the lead.”: The overview starts with the biggest change in the table: a new top mode. No numbers.
TATask achievement
“so by 2025 students’ choices were spread much more evenly across the five modes”: A pattern you only see by reading down the last column: in 2025 every mode is between 15% and 31%.
LRLexical resource
“Over the following two decades, however, car use roughly halved, to 17%.”: “Roughly halved” describes the change, so the reader does not have to work it out.
GRAGrammatical range and accuracy
“peaking at 34% in 2015 before easing to 31%”: Two -ing phrases (peaking, easing) describe a rise and a fall in one clear sentence.
CCCoherence and cohesion
“The largest rise was in cycling”: The first sentence tells the reader what this paragraph is about.
CCCoherence and cohesion
“Train travel followed a similar upward path”: Links the train to cycling, so the two growing modes are grouped.
TATask achievement
“Walking was the only other mode to fall over the whole period”: Even a small change is placed in the pattern, with the car as the other falling mode.
Why Band 9: The answer selects and groups the key data, and the overview names the main change and the overall pattern. The vocabulary is precise and the grammar is varied and accurate throughout.
What makes the Band 9 answer better?
The Band 7 answer is accurate, but in places it reads like a list of numbers. The Band 9 answer chooses fewer numbers and describes them: “roughly halved”, “tripling”, “peaking”. It also finds a pattern the Band 7 answer misses: by 2025, students used the five modes much more evenly.
The Band 9 overview also names the change at the top of the table, and its grammar is varied with no errors. How IELTS Writing is scored explains the four criteria in more detail.
In plain words: Task Achievement is how well you report the main points. Coherence and Cohesion is how easy your answer is to follow, including linking words. Lexical Resource is your vocabulary, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy is your grammar.
| Criterion | Band 7 descriptor | Band 9 descriptor |
|---|---|---|
| Task Achievement (TA) | “(Academic) It presents a clear overview, the data are appropriately categorised, and main trends or differences are identified.” | “All the requirements of the task are fully and appropriately satisfied.” |
| Coherence & Cohesion (CC) | “Information and ideas are logically organised and there is a clear progression throughout the response. A few lapses may occur.” | “The message can be followed effortlessly. … Paragraphing is skilfully managed.” |
| Lexical Resource (LR) | “The resource is sufficient to allow some flexibility and precision.” | “Full flexibility and precise use are evident within the scope of the task.” |
| Grammatical Range & Accuracy (GRA) | “A variety of complex structures is used with some flexibility and accuracy.” | “A wide range of structures within the scope of the task is used with full flexibility and control.” |
Describe this table: write at least 150 words, then get a graded practice
Write your own answer to the table task above in about 20 minutes, and check it against the Band 9 sample. Then open Writing practice and choose Task 1. The app gives you one of its own practice questions and grades your answer on the four criteria.Start a free Writing practice
Check your word count
IELTS asks for at least 150 words in Task 1. To check your length, paste your answer into our IELTS word counter and choose Task 1. Aim a little above 150 words, and keep time for Task 2, which counts for more.
Common mistakes in table answers
Copying the whole table. Writing every number row by row is not a summary. Choose the numbers that show the main changes.
No overview. With so many numbers, it is easy to forget the big picture. Write the overview first.
Only reading across. Read down each column too. Some patterns, such as which mode led in each year, only show in a column.
Mixed-up rows. Check each number twice before you write it. In a busy table, it is easy to take a figure from the wrong row.
More Task 1 guides
- Bar chart: Band 7 and Band 9 samples
- Pie chart: Band 7 and Band 9 samples
- Multiple charts: Band 7 and Band 9 samples
- Line graph: Band 9 sample answer
- How to describe a graph or chart
- How to describe a map
- How to describe a process diagram
- General Training: informal letter, with samples
- General Training: semi-formal letter, with samples
Frequently asked questions
How do you write a table answer in IELTS Writing Task 1?
Use four parts. Paraphrase the question in one sentence. Write an overview of the main changes and patterns with no numbers. Then write two paragraphs of details, grouping rows that behave in a similar way.
How many numbers should I include from the table?
Only the important ones. IELTS says you have to include the most important points, and some minor points or details may be left out. For most tables, the first and last year of each main row is enough, plus any peak.
How many words should a table answer be?
IELTS asks for at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. Our table has 15 numbers. Listing them all would read like a list, so the limit is a reason to choose the key rows and years. IELTS warns that a longer Task 1 answer may leave you less time for Task 2, which counts twice as much. Both samples here are between 150 and 210 words long.
Is a table harder than a chart in Task 1?
It can feel harder, because there is no picture to show the pattern. Read across the rows and down the columns, and mark the highest, lowest and most changed numbers before you write.
Can I explain why the numbers changed?
No. IELTS says all the information you need is given in the table. Report what the numbers show and compare them. Do not add reasons, opinions or facts from outside the table.
Is the college travel table a real IELTS question?
No. It is an original practice question that our team wrote in the style of the test. The college and its travel figures are invented. Use the table to practise finding patterns in rows and columns, then try a graded question in Writing practice.
Sources
- IELTS (ielts.org): IELTS Academic format, Writing
- IELTS (ielts.org): Writing band descriptors (PDF, updated May 2023)
Facts on this page last checked against these sources on 8 October 2026.
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