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 medals won by five countries at the last three Olympic Games.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
| Country | Rio 2016 | Tokyo 2020 | Paris 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 121 | 113 | 126 |
| China | 70 | 88 | 91 |
| Japan | 41 | 58 | 45 |
| Great Britain | 67 | 65 | 65 |
| Uzbekistan | 13 | 5 | 13 |
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 number of medals won by five countries at the Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Overall, the USA won the most medals at every Games, while China improved steadily. Great Britain was the most consistent, and Uzbekistan won by far the fewest.
The USA collected 121 medals in Rio, 113 in Tokyo and 126 in Paris, its highest total. China's tally rose at each Games, from 70 to 88 and then 91, an increase of 21 medals over the period, which reduced the gap to the USA to 35 medals in Paris.
Japan's performance peaked in Tokyo, where it won 58 medals, up from 41 in Rio, before it fell back to 45 in Paris. Great Britain was very stable, winning 67, 65 and 65 medals at the three Games.
Uzbekistan had the lowest totals throughout, with 13 medals in Rio, just 5 in Tokyo and then a return to 13 in Paris. The Tokyo total was the lowest figure in the table, and the Paris total of 13 was the same as in Rio.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| medal tally | total medals won |
| win a medal | earn a prize |
| rise steadily | increase gradually |
| peak at | reach the highest |
| recover | go back up |
| remain stable | stay about the same |
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