Introduction

In the last email lesson we looked at how to describe tables for IELTS writing task 1. We also looked at how to deal with ‘problem and solution’ type discursive essays for task 2. In this lesson we’ll continue looking at how to describe tables for task 1. We’ll also be looking at another kind of composition for task 2 - the ‘advantages and disadvantages’ essay.

In this lesson you will:

			practise identifying the important information in a table.
			learn how to summarise figures from a table.
			look at what makes a good opening paragraph for task 2 discursive essays.
			review language for making comparisons.
			practise planning a composition.
			review useful language for structuring an argument.

IELTS WRITING TASK 1: TABLES

Activity 1 > Identifying important information (1) > 5 minutes

The table you are given to describe in task 1 will probably contain far more information than you can describe in the time and word limit. (Remember, you only have about 20 minutes and 150 words.) You will have to pick out the most important information from the table, and to summarise the figures. In fact, examiners are looking for your ability to do this.

Think about it
Look at the table below.  Which figures do you think are the most important to mention? Which figures do you think should be mentioned?

Activity 2 > Identifying important information (2) > 7 minutes

Now read the description for the table in Activity 1. As you read, notice how the information from the table has been used.

	This table shows how the percentage of households with certain durable goods changed over a 35-year period. It is interesting to see that goods that were probably luxury items at the beginning of the period have now become almost universal. For example, only around a third of households had central heating and telephones in 1970, but the figure had risen to 95% and 93% respectively by 2004. Ownership of some goods saw a steady increase over the 35 years. Households with cars, for example, rose from 52% to 75%. Percentages for some goods, however, rose much more slowly. Households with washing machines, for instance, rose by only 8% from 1994 onwards. In sharp contrast, ownership of other goods rose dramatically over a very short period.  Households with mobile phones and Internet connections, for example, rose by around 50% in only 6 years. Finally, it is worth noting that ownership of video recorders actually fell by 2% between 2003 and 2004, no doubt due to the appearance of DVD players on the market.

Activity 3 > Identifying important information (3) > 7 minutes

Here’s another table with lots of information - far more than you could include in a short description. Look at the table and then read the sentences which follow. Click here and decide which sentences should be included in your description and which are not important.

Activity 4 > Summarising and grouping figures together (1) > 7 minutes

One way to summarise the information in a big table is to group numbers together. For example, with the previous table about household expenditure, you could group years together and describe the change over a three-or five year period.

Alternatively, you could group different expenditures together into one expenditure type. For example, leisure goods and leisure services could be grouped together as one expenditure called ‘leisure’.

Of course, this means you have to do a little maths! Look again at the table from Activity 3 and then click here to choose the best answer for the questions that follow.

Activity 5 > Making comparisons (1) > 5 minutes

When you describe tables or charts in Task 1, you will almost certainly need to make comparisons between values. Here are some useful phrases for comparing values.  Click here to put each phrase into the correct group.

Activity 6 > Making comparisons (2) > 5 minutes

Now click here to use phrases from Activity 5 to complete the sentences below. There is often more than one correct answer.

Activity 7 > Writing task > 20 minutes

Now let’s put what we’ve discussed so far into practice. You’re going to write a description of the most important information in the table below. But before you write, click here and try to answer these questions.

Now write a paragraph describing the most important information in the table. Organise your paragraph like this:

1. Discuss the effect of gender on earnings. (See the yellow cells)
2. Discuss the effect of age on earnings. (See the blue cells)
3. Discuss the effect of qualifications on earnings. (See the red cells)

When you have written your description, you can compare it with our example description here.

This lesson continues here.