Learn one thing, then check it

Select the main pattern for an overview

Listing figures without a pattern

Last reviewed:

Band 5–7 · About 10 minutes

The band range helps you choose a practice focus. It is not a level assessment. Use paper or speak aloud; nothing is saved here.

01

Diagnose

Answer on paper or aloud before opening the check.

If every category rises, should the overview list every number?

Compare my starting answer

No. State the shared rise and a major contrast.

02

Understand

An Academic Task 1 overview selects broad features. Details support those features later. Do not explain causes that the data does not provide. General Training letters need a different approach.

03

Solve

  1. Identify categories, units and dates.
  2. Compare the beginning and ending values.
  3. Choose the broad trend and largest contrast.
  4. Write an overview without invented causes.

04

Practice

Original fictional table: weekly visits to three community rooms. In 2022: Cedar 40, Elm 20, Pine 10. In 2025: Cedar 60, Elm 50, Pine 15. Write a two-sentence Academic overview in English. Describe the broad pattern and a major contrast. These invented figures are task data, not learner results.

Check my answers

Use these checks with your own response. They do not produce a score.

  • Have I said that visits rose in all three rooms?
  • Have I identified Cedar as the busiest room in both years?
  • Have I avoided explanations absent from the table?

05

Verify

Compare your overview with the table, rather than a band descriptor. Tomorrow, make a new table where one category falls.

Practice material, not an IELTS score. No band prediction.

Read the related guide