Academic Writing Task 1 · table

Annual per capita consumption of beer and fruit juice by country: IELTS Writing Task 1 sample answer

An IELTS Writing Task 1 table question with a Band 8 sample answer, the chart redrawn with its data, the vocabulary that lifts the report and how to write about tables.
  • 193 words
  • Tables
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The tables below give information about the amount of beer and fruit juice consumed per person per year in different countries.

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

Beer consumption per person per year
RankCountryLitres
1Ireland155
2Germany119
3Austria106
4Belgium98
5Denmark98
6United Kingdom97
7Australia89
8United States85
9Netherlands80
10Finland79
Fruit juice consumption per person per year
RankCountryLitres
1Canada52.6
2United States42.8
3Germany38.6
4Austria37.3
5Sweden35.5
6Australia34.4
7Finland33
8United Kingdom29.3
9Netherlands28.1
10New Zealand24.8

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.

Model answer

Band 8 sample answer

Band 8193 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The tables illustrate the annual per capita consumption of beer and fruit juice across ten different countries. It is immediately apparent that beer is consumed in much larger quantities than fruit juice in all the nations listed.

Ireland records the highest beer consumption at 155 litres per person, which is nearly double the amount consumed in the tenth-ranked country, Finland, at 79 litres. Germany and Austria follow Ireland, with 119 and 106 litres respectively. Belgium and Denmark share the fourth position, both consuming 98 litres. The remaining countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, and the Netherlands, show a relatively narrow range of consumption, spanning from 97 down to 80 litres.

In contrast, fruit juice consumption is considerably lower, with Canada topping the list at 52.6 litres. The United States and Germany follow with 42.8 and 38.6 litres, respectively. Austria, Sweden, and Australia maintain moderate levels between 37.3 and 34.4 litres. The lowest consumption figures are observed in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, with the latter recording the minimum value of 24.8 litres. Notably, Germany, Austria, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands appear in both top-ten lists.

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Tables

How to write about tables: tips and vocabulary

  • →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.
  • per capita

    for each person in a specific population

  • illustrate

    to show or explain with visual data

  • significantly

    by a sufficiently great or important amount

  • respectively

    in the order previously mentioned or listed

  • in contrast

    used to show a difference between things

  • notably

    especially important or worthy of special attention

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

Overall, beer consumption is significantly higher than fruit juice consumption across all listed nations, with Ireland and Canada leading their respective categories.

How many words and how long for IELTS Writing Task 1?+

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 is IELTS Writing Task 1 scored?+

On four criteria: task achievement, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary, and grammatical range and accuracy. A clear overview of the main features is what most separates Band 6 from Band 7 and above.

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.

Keep practising

More tables

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