IELTS Writing-Task 1-Table

TASK 1-TABLE

​Tables are actually described in the same way you would describe a line graph (if the table is
over time) or a bar chart that is not over time.

New language is not required.
Like with line graphs and bar charts you need to look at the table and decide if it is possible
for you to make any groupings of the data

It’s probably easier to see the patterns when it is presented as a line graph, but if you did spot
the similarities / differences from the table then you could describe it in exactly the same
way, using the language of change.

​In this case the table is not over time so the language of comparison and contrast can be used only. You need to scan over the table and see what important points you notice.

1. All the countries have low uses of water for industry
2. Bahrain and Kuwait have high domestic uses for water, but medium uses for
agriculture
3. In contrast, Qatar, Oman, UAE, and Saudi Arabia have much higher uses for agriculture but medium uses for domestic

​If you can scan over a table (or any other diagram for that matter) and identify key patterns like this then you have your organization to write your answer. This is similar to writing an outline or plan for a task 2 essay

Don’t start with the least interesting information (often the smallest things) so you do not want to start with the low water use of the countries – leave the least interesting things till the end.

​Doing this will ensure that your answer meets the requirements of the task i.e. it compares
and contrasts information. If you just decide to pick the items in the list and describe each one
in turn you are in danger of just making your answer descriptive with no analysis. For a band
7 or higher in task response you need to do more than simply describe the data one by one.