IELTS WRITING TASK 1 - TABLE

Question

The table below gives information on consumer spending on different items in five different countries in 2002.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant

The proportion of consumer spending on three types of different categories in 5 countries (Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey) in 2002 is given on the table. Overall, the expenditure on food/drinks/tobacco and leisure/education in Turkey was the highest figures while clothing/footwear category was spent the most in Italy among nations during 2002.

It can be seen from the table that the percentages of food/drinks/tobacco spending in Turkey accounted for 32.14 percent, which made them the highest figure to compare with the other countries. The expenditure on this category in Ireland was around 29 percent as opposed to between about 16 and 19 percent in Italy, Spain, and Sweden.

Regarding the proportion of clothing/footwear expenditure, the figure for Sweden accounted for the lowest of 5.4 percent while these figures for Italy was the highest category, at 9 percent. As regards the percentages of leisure/education category in Spain, which accounted nearly 2 percent, was lower than Ireland (2.21 percent), Italy and Sweden (about 3.2 percent) while this percentage of Spain was the highest expenditure category, with the figure of 4.32 percent.

KhangEriol · Accepted Answer

Is there anyone help me to correct this?

I'm having the IELTS exam next month...

Poster · Answer

The proportion of consumer spending on three types of different categories in 5 countries (Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey) in 2002 is given on the table.

1) Write single - word figures out in full 'in five countries'.

2) The most natural way to start is with the phrase 'The table shows':

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=is+given+on+the+table%2CThe+table+shows%2CThe+table+provides+information%2CThe+table+illustrates%2CThe+table+indicates%2CThe+graph+shows%2CThe+bar+chart+shows%2C+The+chart+shows&year_start=1960&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cis%20given%20on%20the%20table%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CThe%20table%20shows%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CThe%20table%20provides%20information%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CThe%20table%20illustrates%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CThe%20table%20indicates%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CThe%20graph%20shows%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CThe%20bar%20chart%20shows%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CThe%20chart%20shows%3B%2Cc0

3) My understanding is that up to three consecutive words from the headings and labels may be copied without incurring a penalty.

4) - > The table shows the proportion of national consumer spending for three different categories in five countries (Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey) in 2002.

5) Consider making the overview a separate paragraph: this will make it easier for the examiner.

6) - > Overall, in Turkey, ~~the~~ expenditures on food, drinks and tobacco, and leisure plus education were the highest ~~figures~~ [showed the highest percentages ] while in Italy, the most was spent on clothing and footwear.

7) Once the year has been stated in the introduction, there is no need to repeat it.

8) One way of dealing with a table with too much information is to group the data. To achieve Band 7 we must 'present a clear overview of main trends, differences or stages', depending on which type of figure is presented. Here, we need to state the 'differences'. That would mean the differences between columns, and then the differences between countries: that is, the first column is much higher than the second, which is higher than the third; and Turkey and Ireland are atypical.

Something like: Overall, expenditure on food, drinks and tobacco was much higher than spending on clothing and footwear, which was again significantly more throughout than that on leisure and education. In Turkey and Ireland, consumers spent significantly more on food, drinks and tobacco when compared with the other countries in the table.

9) 'It can be seen from the table that': this wording is redundant.

10) the percentages [There is only one here]

11 ) Error in using 'accounted for' : try something like: In Turkey, spending on food, drinks, and tobacco was the highest of all the countries in the table, accounting for 32.14 percent.

12) In Ireland, ~~the~~ expenditure for/in this category was around 29 percent, whereas Italy, Spain, and Sweden it ranged between/from approximately sixteen to nineteen per cent. 'Range between/from' is useful for grouped data. Try putting the country or year at the head of the sentence.

13) Regarding the proportion of clothing and footwear expenditure, the figure for Sweden was the lowest at 5.4 percent while the corresponding percentage for Italy was the highest ~~category~~, at 9 percent. As regards the percentages [singular?] of leisure and education spending, in Spain, this accounted for nearly 2 percent, and was lower than those for/of Ireland (2.21 percent), Italy and Sweden (~~about~~ 3.2 percent) while the corresponding percentage for Turkey was the highest ~~expenditure category~~, at 4.32 percent.

[Reporting the details incorrectly will undermine the score for Task Achievement.]

14) Having highlighted in the overview the somewhat different pattern in the results for Turkey and Ireland, we need to substantiate this with details in the last paragraph.

IELTS WRITING TASK 1 - TABLE

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