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 number of learners, completion rates and average ratings for five types of online course.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
| Course type | Learners (000) | Completion (%) | Rating (out of 5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Programming | 1,250 | 18 | 4.5 |
| Languages | 2,100 | 9 | 4.2 |
| Business | 830 | 24 | 4.3 |
| Art and design | 410 | 31 | 4.6 |
| Health | 260 | 42 | 4.7 |
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
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
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 learners, completion rates and average ratings for five types of online course.
Overall, the courses with the most learners had the lowest completion rates, whereas the smallest courses had the best completion and ratings. Languages was by far the most popular type, but it was the least successful.
Languages attracted 2,100,000 learners, the most of any type, followed by programming with 1,250,000 and business with 830,000. However, their completion rates were only 9%, 18% and 24% respectively. Languages also had the lowest rating, at 4.2 out of 5.
At the other extreme, health courses had the fewest learners, at 260,000, but the highest completion rate, at 42%, and the highest rating, at 4.7. Art and design also had a small audience, at 410,000 learners, but 31% of them finished the course, and its rating of 4.6 was the second highest.
Programming was rated 4.5 and business 4.3. The completion rate rose in each row as the number of learners fell, and completion was more than four times higher for health than for languages.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| completion rate | percentage who finish |
| learners | people studying |
| attract | draw in |
| highly rated | given good scores |
| across the board | in all cases |
| inverse relationship | when one rises, the other falls |
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