Academic Task 1
IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Book sales by format (table)
Question type: Academic Task 1: table
The question
The table below shows the number of books sold in one country in three formats in 2015 and 2025, in millions.
| Format | 2015 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Printed books | 190 | 160 |
| E-books | 55 | 70 |
| Audiobooks | 8 | 45 |
| Total | 253 | 275 |
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Write your own answer first. Then get an estimated band and corrections from our AI marker.
Answer this questionHow to approach it
- Start with the total row: did sales rise or fall overall?
- Overview: total sales rose although printed books fell, and audiobooks grew fastest.
- Compare size as well as change. Printed books fell but were still the largest format.
Model answer
163 words (minimum 150). Written to show the features of a Band 8-level answer.
The table gives information about sales of printed books, e-books and audiobooks in one country in 2015 and 2025, measured in millions.
Overall, total book sales increased over the decade, even though sales of printed books fell. Printed books remained by far the most popular format, but audiobooks grew much faster than the other two.
In 2015, 190 million printed books were sold, which was more than three times the number of e-books, at 55 million. Audiobooks were a very small part of the market, with sales of only 8 million. Altogether, 253 million books were sold that year.
By 2025, the picture had changed. Sales of printed books had dropped to 160 million, whereas e-book sales had risen to 70 million. The most dramatic change was in audiobooks, where sales climbed to 45 million, more than five times the earlier figure. Because the growth in the two digital formats was greater than the fall in print, the total rose to 275 million.
Useful language from this answer
- gives information about
- introducing a table without copying the question
- even though
- contrasting two facts in one sentence
- remained by far the most popular
- still the largest despite a change
- the picture had changed
- moving to the later date
- more than five times the earlier figure
- describing a very large increase
Common mistakes with this question
- Missing the overview. A report without a clear summary of the main features cannot score above Band 5 for Task Achievement.
- Ignoring the total row, which gives you the easiest overview sentence.
- Saying printed books 'are dying'. They fell, but they were still more than double the other formats combined.
Now write your own answer
Reading a model helps, but writing is what improves your band. Answer this question and get an estimated band for all four criteria, with corrections taken from your own sentences.
This model answer was written by TestWise Prep to show the features of a high-scoring answer. It is not official IELTS material. Use it for ideas and language, not to memorise.