IELTS Writing Task 1 Table — Band 9 Sample Answer
A table task requires you to identify relationships between columns as well as patterns within rows. The key to a band 9 response is a strong overview that captures the most important cross-column finding — not just 'X had the highest value'. This page shows a full band 9 response with examiner commentary on every criterion.
What does a band 9 IELTS Task 1 table answer look like?
A band 9 table response groups similar rows together rather than describing each row separately, identifies the most important relationship between columns in the overview (e.g., highest-ranked universities had smallest enrolments), uses precise comparative language including 'despite', 'in contrast', and 'respectively', and covers all data points without mechanical list-style description.
Quick Facts
- Task type
- Academic Writing Task 1
- Chart type
- Table (5 rows, 4 columns)
- Word count
- 192 words
- Predicted band
- 9.0
The table data
Task 1 Question
The table below gives information about selected data for five universities in the United Kingdom in 2023, including their national ranking, total student enrolment, percentage of international students, and annual research income.
| University | Rank | Enrolment | Intl. Students | Research Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford | 1 | 25,000 | 43% | £650m |
| Cambridge | 2 | 24,500 | 38% | £580m |
| UCL | 3 | 42,000 | 58% | £420m |
| Edinburgh | 10 | 35,000 | 46% | £280m |
| Manchester | 20 | 45,000 | 40% | £310m |
Band 9 sample answer — 192 words
Band 9 Sample Answer — 192 words
The table presents data on five UK universities across four measures — national ranking, student enrolment, proportion of international students, and research income — for the year 2023.
Overall, the highest-ranked universities (Oxford and Cambridge) recorded the greatest research income despite having the smallest student populations. In contrast, the two largest universities by enrolment (Manchester and UCL) held lower rankings but attracted a significant proportion of international students.
Oxford ranked first nationally with research income of £650 million, the highest in the table, followed closely by Cambridge at £580 million and a ranking of second. Both universities had enrolment figures of approximately 25,000, considerably smaller than the remaining three institutions.
UCL, ranked third, had the largest share of international students at 58%, and despite a relatively modest research income of £420 million, had a total enrolment of 42,000. Edinburgh and Manchester were ranked tenth and twentieth respectively, with research incomes of £280 million and £310 million. Manchester had the highest total enrolment at 45,000, while Edinburgh's international student proportion of 46% was the second highest in the table.
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Why this answer scores band 9 — examiner breakdown
TA
Task Achievement
- +Overview captures the key contrast: top-ranked universities have highest research income but smallest enrolments — the most significant insight in the data
- +All five universities and all four measures covered — complete without being mechanical
- +Data selected intelligently: Oxford and Cambridge treated together (similar patterns), UCL noted for highest international %, Manchester flagged for largest enrolment
C&C
Coherence & Cohesion
- +Grouping strategy: top 2 universities together (para 3), then UCL separately (unique international % feature), then Edinburgh and Manchester together (similar rank tier) — logical and efficient
- +'Despite' used twice to embed contrasts: 'despite having the smallest student populations' and 'despite a relatively modest research income'
- +No bullet-point or list-style writing — all data woven into prose with clear connectives
LR
Lexical Resource
- +'Considerably smaller than the remaining three institutions' avoids repeating specific numbers — natural comparative phrasing
- +'Relatively modest research income' for UCL's £420m — 'modest' is accurate relative to Oxford/Cambridge, showing judgement
- +'The highest in the table', 'the second highest in the table' — avoids repeating the actual figure after it has been stated once
GRA
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
- +Concession: 'despite having the smallest student populations' and 'despite a relatively modest research income' — both error-free
- +Passive construction avoided where active is cleaner: 'Oxford ranked first', not 'was ranked first' — appropriate register choice
- +Adverb of approximation: 'approximately 25,000' — shows awareness that both values are close but not identical
- +Error-free across 192 words
How to structure a band 9 table answer
Introduction
Paraphrase the task — change 'gives information about' → 'presents data on', 'selected data' → 'four measures'.
“'The table presents data on five UK universities across four measures... for the year 2023.'”
Overview — the key contrast
Identify the most important pattern: which rows are similar, which are different, what is the most surprising or notable relationship in the data.
“Highest-ranked = highest research income BUT smallest enrolments. Largest universities = lower rankings, more international students.”
Body paragraph 1 — top of the ranking
Describe the 2–3 rows with the highest values on the most important measure (ranking/research income). Group similar rows together.
“Oxford and Cambridge: similar enrolment (~25,000), highest research income (£650m, £580m), top 2 nationally.”
Body paragraph 2 — remaining rows + notable features
Cover the remaining institutions. Note any stand-out figures (UCL's international % is the highest; Manchester's enrolment is the largest). Use contrast language.
“UCL: highest international % (58%), lower research income. Edinburgh and Manchester: ranked 10th and 20th; Manchester largest enrolment.”
Vocabulary that lifts this answer to band 9
These phrases from the sample answer are particularly useful for table tasks, where you need to compare rows, relate columns, and embed contrasts efficiently.
“despite having the smallest student populations”
Embeds a contrast within a single clause — concise and complex simultaneously
“relatively modest research income”
'Relatively' signals that the writer is comparing within the dataset, not to an external standard
“the highest in the table”
Avoids repeating the figure — used after the first mention to vary the text
“approximately 25,000”
Correctly hedges two similar-but-not-identical values (25,000 and 24,500) with one approximation
“ranked tenth and twentieth respectively”
'Respectively' links the order of the two items to the two universities mentioned before — essential table vocabulary
“the second highest in the table”
Superlative ranking language for data points that are not the highest — avoids saying 'also high'
Check your own Task 1 answer — instant band score
Paste your table response and get examiner-style feedback on all 4 criteria. See exactly how your data grouping and comparison language scores.
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Frequently Asked Questions
First, identify the most important pattern in the data: which rows have the highest values, which have the lowest, and is there a surprising relationship between columns? In the example above, the key insight is that the highest-ranked universities have the highest research income but the smallest enrolments — that becomes the overview. Do not simply describe every cell in order.
Yes, but not with equal depth. Cover all rows and all columns, but group similar rows together and focus more description on the most notable data points. Use approximate language for similar values ('approximately £580m to £650m') rather than listing each one separately.
A table has multiple columns, each with its own measure (e.g., ranking, enrolment, research income). You need to identify relationships between columns as well as patterns within each column. The overview for a table should capture the most important cross-column relationship — this is what distinguishes a band 7 table answer (describes each column separately) from a band 9 answer (identifies how the columns relate to each other).
Use comparison language: 'the highest figure was recorded for X', 'Y had the lowest value at Z', 'A and B were broadly similar at around X'. For cross-column relationships: 'despite', 'while', 'in contrast to', 'in terms of'. For approximate values: 'approximately', 'around', 'just under', 'slightly above'.
The overview for a table task identifies the most important patterns across the data — typically: which row or column has the highest/lowest values, and whether there is an interesting relationship between two or more columns. In the university table, the overview is that high ranking correlates with high research income but low enrolment — the opposite of what you might expect.
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