Pick out the main features of this table for your overview, write your report on a 20-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The table below shows the average price of five basic foods in 2000, 2010 and 2022.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
| Item | 2000 | 2010 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.8 |
| Rice | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Chicken | 3.5 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Milk | 0.8 | 1 | 1.3 |
| Apples | 2 | 2.6 | 3.9 |
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
An overview names the main trends or differences in one or two sentences, without numbers. These are the features a strong answer picks out:
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 150 minimum
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Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
The table shows the average price per kilogram or litre of five basic foods in 2000, 2010 and 2022.
Overall, the price of every item rose over the period, and for most items the rises were larger after 2010. Chicken was the most expensive food throughout, while milk was the cheapest.
Bread showed the biggest proportional increase. Its price went from $1.20 in 2000 to $1.60 in 2010 and $2.80 in 2022, more than double the starting figure. Apples also became much more expensive, rising from $2.00 to $2.60 and then to $3.90.
Chicken cost $3.50 in 2000, $4.40 in 2010 and $6.00 in 2022, so it remained the highest priced item by a wide margin. Even so, its rise was proportionally smaller than that of bread or apples.
Rice and milk were the most stable products. Rice rose from $1.40 to $1.80 and $2.10, and milk from $0.80 to $1.00 and $1.30. Milk was the cheapest item at every date, and in 2022 it cost less than half as much as apples. Rice, which had been more expensive than bread in 2000, was cheaper than bread by 2022.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| basic foods | everyday food items |
| rise steadily | increase gradually |
| more than double | rise to over twice |
| the cheapest | lowest priced |
| the most expensive | highest priced |
| in percentage terms | as a proportion |
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