Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.

📋 How to use this lesson

For the teacher

• Guide learners through the language build-up below in about 10–12 minutes before they write.

• Check answers using the automated keys, then discuss why each word fits best in data descriptions.

For the learner

• First, complete these quick warm-up tasks to practice key words and phrases for describing figures.

• Next, move to Module 2 to analyze the summary table and write your full 120-word report.

Module 1: Building your data-description vocabulary

Practice the basic words, word forms, and phrases you need to report trends and numbers clearly.

Part A: Word forms

Choose the correct form of the word to complete each sentence about tea production and sales.

1. Between 2012 and 2016, green tea exports saw a steady ___ across Asian markets.

____ a. grow ____ b. growth ____ c. grew

2. The overall harvest of black tea ___ by five percent last autumn.

____ a. decrease ____ b. decreasing ____ c. decreased

3. There was a ___ decline in domestic sales of loose-leaf tea during the winter months.

____ a. considerable ____ b. considerably ____ c. consider

4. Total revenue from organic tea leaves climbed ___ over the four-year observation period.

____ a. steady ____ b. steadily ____ c. steadiness

5. Farm output has ___ by nearly twenty tonnes since new irrigation methods were introduced.

____ a. rise ____ b. rose ____ c. risen

Part B: Collocations for describing data

Choose the single word that naturally fits the gap in each sentence describing tea figures.

6. Regional tea exports ___ a peak of 45,000 tonnes in mid-2019.

____ a. reached ____ b. touched ____ c. arrived

7. The plantation's processing costs ___ unchanged throughout the entire dry season.

____ a. maintained ____ b. remained ____ c. held

8. Herbal tea sales ___ for nearly 40% of the cooperative's total yearly earnings.

____ a. counted ____ b. formed ____ c. accounted

9. Global demand for white tea leaves ___ a sharp drop during the early spring freeze.

____ a. gained ____ b. experienced ____ c. spent

10. In 2021, the wholesale price of artisan tea ___ at $18 per kilogram.

____ a. stood ____ b. went ____ c. rested

Part C: Common phrases for describing figures

Complete each tea report sentence using the correct phrase from the word bank below.

Word Bank (type the exact phrase):

upward trend fell significantly levelled off lowest point over the period

11. Wholesale tea prices followed an [ ... ] throughout the summer months.

____ (Type phrase from bank)

12. Fertilizer imports for tea farms [ ... ] before returning to normal levels in December.

____ (Type phrase from bank)

13. After a brief jump in June, overall tea plantation output [ ... ] at 30 tonnes per week.

____ (Type phrase from bank)

14. Domestic loose-leaf sales dipped to their [ ... ] of 120 tonnes in late November.

____ (Type phrase from bank)

15. Total export revenue expanded noticeably [ ... ] as a whole.

____ (Type phrase from bank)

Part D: Paraphrase

Choose the sentence that conveys the exact same meaning using different words.

Original sentence:

"Tea yields increased substantially between 2015 and 2019."

Which sentence says the same thing?

____ a. Tea yields remained fairly stable between 2015 and 2019. ____ b. There was a substantial rise in tea yields from 2015 to 2019. ____ c. Farmers harvested slightly more tea between 2015 and 2019.

Original sentence:

"Black tea accounted for half of all shipments abroad."

Which sentence says the same thing?

____ a. Fifty percent of all exported tea was made up of black tea. ____ b. Less than half of the tea sent overseas was black tea. ____ c. Black tea shipments were twice as large as green tea sales.

Original sentence:

"The share of wholesale tea in total revenue dropped by 10 percentage points over the decade."

Which sentence says the same thing?

____ a. Wholesale tea earnings dropped by ten percent every single year. ____ b. The share of revenue from wholesale tea fell to ten percent. ____ c. Over the ten-year period, the share of revenue from wholesale tea went down by 10 percentage points.

Module 2: Writing your report

Read the task instructions, examine the table carefully, and write your complete report.

Writing Task

The table shows the percentage of students who chose each type of course at one college in 2010 and in 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 120 words.

Type of course	2010	2020
Business	30	25
Science	25	20
Languages	20	12
Computing	10	28
Art	15	15

(Figures are fictional.)

☑️ Checklist for every Task 1 report

Use this general checklist to confirm your report has all necessary components before submitting:

____ An overview that summarises the main trends or general pattern ____ Key features selected and grouped logically ____ Clear comparisons between categories or time points ____ Accurate figures supporting the main descriptions ____ At least 120 words written

Your Report

Type your complete Task 1 summary below. When you submit, your writing will be assessed on Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.

____ (Write your report here (at least 120 words)...)

Module 3: Model answer and key phrases

Read this full model response to see how to group facts cleanly and describe changes with exact figures.

📝

Full Model Answer

122 words

The table shows the proportion of college students who enrolled in five different subjects in 2010 and 2020.

Overall, business accounted for the largest share in 2010, whereas computing was the largest share in 2020. Computing also grew the most over the decade, while languages fell and art did not change.

In 2010, business was chosen by 30% of students, but this figure fell by 5 percentage points to 25% in 2020. Science followed a similar downward pattern, dropping by 5 percentage points from 25% to 20%. Similarly, languages fell by 8 percentage points from 20% to 12%.

In sharp contrast, computing grew the most, rising from 10% to 28%. Finally, the proportion for art remained unchanged at 15% in both years.

💡 Why this works

Here is why each highlighted phrase is effective and how you can use it in your own reports:

1. "accounted for the largest share"

Why this works: This is a natural, professional collocation to name the biggest category in a table or pie chart without repeating the word "biggest".

2. "grew the most"

Why this works: Clear and direct. It highlights the standout change in the overview paragraph without hard grammar.

3. "did not change"

Why this works: Plain everyday words are best when nothing changes. Everyone understands them at once.

4. "fell by 5 percentage points"

Why this works: When you subtract one percentage from another (30% minus 25%), the difference is always "percentage points", never "percent".

5. "followed a similar downward pattern"

Why this works: Connects two related categories (business and science) smoothly, avoiding repetitive sentences that just list numbers.

6. "In sharp contrast"

Why this works: A strong transitional phrase that immediately tells the reader you are moving from decreasing categories to an increasing one.

7. "remained unchanged at"

Why this works: Gives both the observation (it stayed the same) and the exact figure (15%) in one clean, natural clause.

IELTS Writing Task 1: University Course Data

📋 How to use this lesson

Module 1: Building your data-description vocabulary

Part A: Word forms

Part B: Collocations for describing data

Part C: Common phrases for describing figures

Part D: Paraphrase

Module 2: Writing your report

☑️ Checklist for every Task 1 report

Your Report

Module 3: Model answer and key phrases

Full Model Answer

💡 Why this works

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