Why tables scare people
A table has more numbers than any other Task 1 visual. Rows, columns, and a number in every box. So people panic and try to describe every single cell. That is the biggest table mistake. You run out of words, you make no comparisons, and it reads like a list, not a report. The trick is the opposite of what feels safe: do not list everything. SELECT the important figures and compare them. You get marks for choosing what matters, not for copying the table.
What to actually describe in a table
✓Find the HIGHEST and the LOWEST. Look both ways: across each row AND down each column.
✓Compare between categories (this group against that group).
✓Compare between time periods (the start year against the end year).
✓GROUP related numbers together instead of going cell by cell.
✓Notice what STAYED THE SAME, not only what changed.
✓Still write an overview first: the big picture, with no exact numbers.
Select, do not list: 3 examples
Reciting every cell
✕In 2000 the figure was 20. In 2005 it was 25. In 2010 it was 30. In 2015 it was 35...
✓The figure for the UK was the highest in every year, rising steadily from 2000 to 2015.
Nobody gets marks for copying the table into sentences. Choose the key figures (here, the highest one) and describe the pattern instead of every box.
No grouping, no comparison
✕France was 40. Germany was 55. Spain was 35. Italy was 60. Poland was 30.
✓Italy and Germany had the highest figures, whereas Spain and Poland had the lowest.
Five separate numbers with no link is just a list. Group similar figures and compare them, so the reader sees the big picture, not a pile of data.
Missing what stayed the same
✕Sales rose in China and fell in Japan over the ten years.
✓Sales rose in China and fell in Japan, whereas the figure for Korea stayed roughly the same across the whole period.
A strong table answer notes what did NOT change too. Spotting the number that stayed flat is an easy comparison that many people miss.
Useful phrases for describing a table
1the highest / the lowest
The biggest and the smallest figure in the table.
Example: Canada had the highest figure in 2010, while Mexico had the lowest.
2whereas
A word to compare two things that are different (like 'but').
Example: Sales rose in the north, whereas they fell in the south.
3exceed
To be more than a number or another figure.
Example: In 2015, spending on health exceeded spending on education.
4slightly
By a small amount. Use it for a small change or a small difference.
Example: The figure for Spain was slightly higher than the figure for Italy.
5just over / just under
A little more than, or a little less than, a round number.
Example: About 80 percent of men, and just under half of the women, chose option A.
6roughly
About, approximately. Use it when the number is not exact.
Example: The figure for Korea stayed roughly the same across the whole period.
7a quarter
One out of four, or 25 percent.
Example: Roughly a quarter of the students came from Asia in 2005.
8more than half
Above 50 percent of the total.
Example: More than half of the energy came from coal in the first year.
9rose / fell
Went up / went down. The simplest way to show a change over time.
Example: The figure rose in most countries but fell in two of them.
Read next
Keep going with the series: 6 mistakes that lower your score and how to write a strong overview.
See if you chose the right numbers
Selecting the key figures takes practice, and it is hard to know if you picked the right ones on your own. Write your Task 1 table report in VoyaLang and get instant feedback on your Task Achievement, including whether your overview and comparisons cover the important features, with a corrected version to learn from. Create a free account and check your next one in about a minute.
