IELTS Task 1 table: how to find the pattern in the numbers

A table is the hardest Task 1 visual for many candidates, because it gives you numbers but no picture. Nothing jumps out. You have to find the story yourself, and the examiner wants to see that you did.

Spend two minutes reading before you write

Go through the table and mark, in pencil:

• the highest and lowest figure in each column,
• for each row, whether it went up, down or stayed level across the columns,
• any row that does the opposite of the others.

Those marks are your plan. In our museum visitors sample, three museums grew and one declined, the Science Museum led throughout, and the Art Gallery grew fastest. That is the overview, written before a single figure.

Group the rows by what they did

Do not describe the table row by row from top to bottom. Group rows that share a trend:

• rows that rose and rows that fell,
• younger and older age groups,
• the leaders and the rest.

Use only the figures that prove your point

A table may have twenty figures. You need perhaps eight to ten: the start and end of each trend, the top and bottom, and the exception. Use the rest only if they change the story.

Absolute and relative change

Tables are perfect for this distinction, and using it impresses examiners:

• In absolute terms, the youngest group's use rose the most (by more than two hours).
• In relative terms, the oldest group's use rose the most (more than three times as long).

See it in the smartphone use sample.

Writing numbers correctly

• Large numbers in full: 520,000 visitors, or 520 thousand. Check the units in the table heading.
• Decimals as they are: 3.1 hours, not “about three hours” unless you are approximating on purpose.
• Use respectively to give two figures in one sentence: “These figures had climbed to 5.4 and 4.2 hours respectively.”

Common table mistakes

• Reporting the table row by row with no grouping.
• Using every number.
• Forgetting the units: thousands, millions, percentages, hours.

Practise

Read both table models in the Task 1 samples and the complete Task 1 guide.