The Table Challenge
Tables give you more data than you can possibly write about in 20 minutes. This is deliberate. The examiner is testing whether you can select the most significant information and present it coherently — not whether you can copy numbers into sentences.
Writing every number in the table as a separate sentence: Country A had 45. Country B had 67. Country C had 23… This approach scores Band 4–5 because it shows no selectivity or analysis. It is description without thought.
What to Select
From a typical table, select:
- The highest and lowest values overall
- The most significant differences between categories or rows
- Any clear trends or patterns across columns
- Any surprising or anomalous values
Leave out: middle-of-the-range values that do not illustrate a notable point.
If a number does not help explain a pattern or contrast, do not include it. Ask yourself: “If I removed this figure, would my paragraph make less sense?” If no, cut it.
Structure for Tables
| Paragraph | Content |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Paraphrase: what does the table show, and over what period / for what categories? |
| Overview | The most significant overall pattern — e.g., which country dominated, or which category was consistently highest |
| Body 1 | Detailed comparison of the highest-performing row/column with specific data |
| Body 2 | Contrasting data — lowest performers, notable exceptions, or secondary patterns |
Language for Tables
Making Comparisons
- significantly higher than — “Country A’s figures were significantly higher than those of Country C”
- by contrast — “By contrast, expenditure on healthcare remained relatively stable”
- while — “While urban areas saw rapid growth, rural regions declined”
- the most notable exception — “The most notable exception was Japan, which…”
Referring to Rows and Columns
- In the category of… — “In the category of renewable energy…”
- Across all countries… — “Across all countries, tourism figures fell”
- For the year… — “For the year 2010, the highest figure was recorded in…”
Do not start sentences with “The table shows that…” repeatedly. Vary your sentence openings: According to the data, / The figures reveal that, / Notably, / By contrast,
Grouping Data Efficiently
Instead of describing each row separately, group similar data:
Inefficient: France had 45%. Germany had 47%. The Netherlands had 44%.
Efficient: France, Germany and the Netherlands showed comparable figures, all in the range of 44–47%.
Any time three or more values are within 5–10% of each other, group them in one sentence. This shows analytical thinking and frees up words for the more interesting contrasts.
Tables reward analytical writers who select and group. The candidate who writes 400 words describing every cell will score lower than the candidate who writes 180 words about the five most significant figures.