Academic Task 1: describing data

In Academic Task 1 you describe visual information in at least 150 words, in about 20 minutes. Here is a method, a practice table with a sample answer, and a second task for you.

The figures in the tables below are invented by us for practice. They are not real statistics.

The method

Introduction, one sentence: say what the table or chart shows, in your own words.
Overview, one or two sentences: the main features. The highest, the lowest, the general trend. No figures needed here.
Details, two short paragraphs: the important figures, grouped logically, with comparisons.

There is no conclusion and no opinion. Do not explain why the figures are as they are; the official criteria call this an information-transfer task.

Practice task 1

The table shows how students at one college travelled to class in 2015 and 2025. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Way of travelling	2015	2025
Bus	40%	25%
Bicycle	25%	10%
Motorcycle or scooter	20%	35%
Car	5%	12%
On foot	10%	8%
Metro	0%	10%

Sample answer

The table compares the ways in which students of a college travelled to their classes in two years, 2015 and 2025.

Overall, there was a clear move away from buses and bicycles towards private motor vehicles over the decade. The metro, which was not used at all in 2015, had also become a significant means of transport by 2025.

In 2015 the bus was by far the most common choice, used by 40% of students, but this figure fell to a quarter ten years later. Cycling declined even more sharply, from 25% to only 10%. The proportion of students who walked changed little, falling slightly from 10% to 8%.

By contrast, the use of motorcycles and scooters rose from 20% to 35%, making this the most popular way of travelling in 2025. Car use more than doubled, although at 12% it remained relatively low. Finally, one student in ten travelled by metro in 2025.

About 160 words.

Comments

Task achievement. The overview gives the two main features. Every row is mentioned, but grouped: what fell, what rose. Figures are accurate.
Coherence and cohesion. "Overall", "By contrast" and "Finally" guide the reader. Falling items are in one paragraph, rising items in the next.
Lexical resource. Varied ways of giving numbers: 40%, a quarter, one in ten, more than doubled. Verbs of change: fell, declined, rose, remained.
Grammar. Past tenses throughout, because both years are in the past; a past perfect for a change completed by 2025.

Useful language

Up: rose, increased, grew, climbed; a rise, an increase, growth.
Down: fell, decreased, declined, dropped; a fall, a decline.
Speed and size: sharply, steadily, slightly, gradually; a sharp rise, a slight fall.
No change: remained stable, stayed at, levelled off.
Comparing: twice as many as, far higher than, slightly lower than, the most, the least.

Practice task 2

The table shows the number of visitors to three attractions in a town in four months of one year. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Attraction	January	April	July	October
Museum	4,000	4,500	5,000	4,200
Zoo	2,000	6,000	11,000	5,000
Lake park	1,000	5,500	9,000	3,000

Plan it first. What are the two main features? One possible overview: the outdoor attractions changed greatly with the season, peaking in July, while the museum stayed fairly steady all year.

General Training Task 1: letters All writing pages

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