IELTS WRITING TASK 1
TABLES
By Imad
SAMPLE

The table below shows the sales at a small
restaurant in a downtown business district.
Summarize the information by selecting and
reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.
STEPS

STEP 1: Introduce the table. (Describe the
features of table in 2 sentences).
Report the main characteristics of the table
 Report the number of columns and rows.

STEP 2: A. Analyze: (100-120) words – 8-12
sentences. Start by reporting the most noticeable
comparisons.
 STEP 2B: Make calculations (where relevant)
 STEP 3: Conclude

The table below shows the sales at a small restaurant
in a downtown business district.
STEP 1: (Describe what the table shows and its
features)
The table illustrates < the sales at a small
restaurant in a downtown business district for
the week of October 7-13>. It includes <seven
columns and three rows>.
STEP 2A: (Analyze the table data)
It is clear that the highest sales at this restaurant are
during dinner time on Friday with $4,350. On the other
hand, the lowest sales are during lunch on Sunday at
$1,550. Mainly Tuesdays and Fridays’ sales brought in
more sales for that week.
$13,00
0
$610
0
$6500 $6000 $6000 $7000 $4000 $4000
$22,00
0
STEP 2B: Make calculations where relevant.
By adding together the sales for each day, we see that the highest revenues
for both lunch and dinner were on Tuesdays and Fridays at approximately
7000 and 6500 dollars. Interestingly, weekends had the lowest incomes of the
week with approximately $4000 for both lunch and dinner.
STEP 3: Conclude
To sum up, and by combining the totals in the rows for that week, we find
that the dinner has generated more money with $22,000. Thus, the lowest
revenues were from made from lunch time at about 13,000 dollars for these 7
days. Compared to lunch incomes, dinners generated more sales for the week
from the 7th-13th of October.
HINTS
Not all tables include money amounts; they could
also comprise ratios, percentages, ages, agegroups, etc.
 However, understanding the basic process of how
to write on IELTS Writing Task 1 can help you
modify your writing accordingly. i.e. from
amounts to numbers, etc.
 Example:

LET’S PRACTICE!

Handouts

The table below shows the sales at a café located near
a large university. Summarize the information by
selecting and reporting the main features while
making comparisons where relevant.