Writing Task 1: Pie Chart & Table: Question 6
Syllabus W.task1
The table below shows the percentage of the population using the internet, and the average annual income (in US dollars), in five countries in 2024.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Country | Internet users (% of population) | Average annual income (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| Vantoria | 92 | 48,300 |
| Kelmar | 78 | 31,600 |
| Bruska | 54 | 19,850 |
| Oestland | 41 | 12,400 |
| Tarnby | 23 | 7,900 |
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Worked solution
Task type notes
This is a table Task 1: two variables (internet use, income) across five countries, rather than a single-variable chart. The examiner does not expect ten separate one-line facts. The reportable content is the relationship between the two columns and how the five countries cluster along it, which the model answer states as its overview and then supports with grouped figures.
Why the model answer scores Band 9
Task Achievement (The overview names the general pattern (income and internet use move together) rather than just picking the biggest single number, and every figure quoted (92%, $48,300, 78%, 54%, 41%, 23%, etc.) matches the table exactly. Countries are grouped (Vantoria/Kelmar as the higher pair, then the remaining three) instead of listed mechanically, and comparisons are explicit (“14 percentage points below,” “roughly two-fifths of,” “little more than a sixth of”). No opinion or explanation of why income and internet use correlate is offered) only the data relationship.
Coherence and Cohesion. Paragraphing follows a clear logic: overview, then the two highest countries, then the three lower countries, then a closing overall statement. Cohesive devices (“showed a similar pattern,” “the remaining three countries,” “overall”) link paragraphs without repeating the same connector.
Lexical Resource. Precise comparative language avoids repeating “more/less than”: “by far the highest,” “some 14 percentage points below,” “roughly two-fifths of,” “a little under a sixth of.” Numbers are supplemented with proportion language rather than restated as bare percentages every time.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy. A mix of simple, compound and complex sentences; accurate use of comparatives and superlatives (“the highest,” “markedly lower,” “little more than”); no article or preposition errors.
Common pitfalls specific to this task
- Treating the table as ten unrelated facts rather than identifying the income/usage relationship that ties the rows together.
- Writing an overview that just repeats the highest and lowest figures instead of stating the pattern they illustrate.