IELTS Table Vocabulary: 40+ Words to Boost Your Band Score

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IELTS ZONE

Published On

July 25, 2025

Struggling with IELTS Writing Task 1 when it involves tables? You’re definitely not the only one.

I’ve worked with countless students who get stuck the moment they see a table full of rows, columns, and numbers. It can feel overwhelming, almost like you’re sitting in a maths exam instead of an English test. But here’s what I always tell them — once you understand how to describe data clearly, and you’ve got the right IELTS Table vocabulary in your toolkit, everything becomes so much easier. You stop panicking and start writing with purpose.

In this blog, I’m going to share the exact words and phrases I teach my own students to help them describe tables effectively. You’ll learn:

Which verbs to use, and how to avoid repeating the same ones
How to compare data naturally, the way examiners expect
Easy ways to show changes using accurate vocabulary
How to write in a formal tone, without sounding stiff or mechanical

I’ll guide you through it all step by step, using real examples and tips that have worked for my students and will work for you too.

Why IELTS Table Vocabulary Matters

Let me explain something most students completely overlook, in IELTS Writing Task 1, it’s not just about what you say, it’s about how you say it.

When you’re given a table, you’re not expected to describe every number. The examiner already sees the data. What they really want is to see how well you can summarise, compare, and describe it using formal, accurate, and varied language.

Think of it like this. If you keep writing “shows,” “there is,” or “the number of” in every sentence, your writing will sound dull and repetitive. But once you start using the right kind of words — ones that highlight trends, compare values, or explain changes — your writing becomes smoother, more fluent, and much more impressive.

One of my students, Zara, used to write the same sentence over and over:

“The table shows… the table shows…”
Once we worked on her vocabulary, her writing completely changed. She started using words like presents, depicts, and outlines, and suddenly, her Task 1 felt like a proper report — not just a summary of numbers.

And here’s the best part. You don’t need to memorise 100 fancy words. You just need a small set of reliable, IELTS-friendly vocabulary that helps you say things clearly and professionally.

That’s what we’re going to focus on next.

Structure of a Table Task: What You’re Up Against

When you see a table in IELTS Writing Task 1, you might instantly think, “Where do I even begin?” That feeling is completely normal.

Tables can feel overwhelming at first. All those numbers and categories can make it hard to know what to write. But once you understand how these tasks are structured, everything gets much easier.

Most tables in IELTS show data across different categories. These might include countries, age groups, years, or types of services. Sometimes the table gives a single snapshot. Other times, it shows how things changed over time.

Now, here’s what many students get wrong. You don’t need to describe every single number. That’s not what the examiner wants. Your job is to:

Find the main trends
Spot clear comparisons
Highlight the highest and lowest values
Mention any interesting similarities or exceptions

Think of the table as a simple story told through numbers. Your task is to explain that story using clear sentences and the right vocabulary.

One of my students, Farhan, once tried to describe every number in a huge table. He ran out of words and completely missed the key message. After a bit of practice, he learned to focus only on what stood out. That small shift made a big difference to his score.

So don’t worry if the table looks too detailed. You’re not expected to explain it all. Just pick out the most important points and describe them clearly.

Top IELTS Table Verbs (to Replace “Show” and “Give”)

A lot of students begin their answer with something like:

“The table shows the number of students…”

Now, is that wrong? No. But if you keep using “shows” or “gives” in every sentence, your writing will sound basic and repetitive.

To get a higher band score, you need to vary your vocabulary. You also want to sound more academic and confident.

Here are some stronger verbs you can use when describing tables. These work well in both your introduction and body paragraphs:

Presents – “The table presents data on population growth in five cities.”
Illustrates – “It illustrates the number of tourists visiting each country in 2022.”
Displays – “The table displays employment rates by sector.”
Depicts – “This table depicts electricity consumption over ten years.”
Outlines – “It outlines the results of a customer satisfaction survey.”
Summarises – “The table summarises income levels by education.”

These words make your writing sound more polished. They also show the examiner that you can write like someone ready for academic study.

🗣 Pro tip: Try using one of these in your first sentence. Then, choose a different one later in the paragraph. This helps you avoid repeating the same word and makes your writing feel more fluent.

Describing Trends and Patterns

Sometimes, IELTS tables show data from different years. For example, you might see population figures from 2010 to 2020. When that happens, your job is to describe how the numbers change over time.

To do this well, you need the right vocabulary. Let me break it down for you.

🔹 Useful Verbs for Describing Change

Use these when you want to show what happened to the numbers:

Increased – “The number of graduates increased steadily.”
Decreased – “Tourism figures decreased after 2019.”
Rose – “Employment rates rose slightly between 2015 and 2017.”
Fell – “Sales fell sharply in the final quarter.”
Remained stable – “The figures remained stable throughout the decade.”
Fluctuated – “Prices fluctuated during the five-year period.”

These verbs help you explain whether something went up, down, stayed the same, or changed irregularly.

🔹 Nouns for Trends

Sometimes, it’s better to use a noun instead of a verb. This helps vary your sentence structure.

Here are a few examples:

An upward trend
A gradual increase
A sharp drop
A steady decline
A noticeable fluctuation

🗣 Example sentence:
“There was a sharp increase in online sales between 2018 and 2020.”

📌 Tip: You don’t need to mention every number. That’s not the goal. Focus on the overall pattern. Ask yourself:
👉 Did the numbers go up? Did they fall? Did they stay the same?

That’s what the examiner wants to hear.

Comparison and Contrast Vocabulary

Most IELTS tables are meant to be compared. That’s actually the whole point of many Task 1 questions. You might see different countries, age groups, genders, or years placed side by side. So, if you can compare clearly and accurately, you’re already on the right track.

Let’s look at how to do that with the right vocabulary.

🔹 Useful Comparison Phrases

These are natural, formal, and perfect for IELTS Writing Task 1:

Compared to – “Compared to 2015, the figures in 2020 were much higher.”
While / Whereas – “While the UK saw a steady rise, Spain experienced a decline.”
In contrast – “In contrast, rural areas had much lower enrolment rates.”
Slightly more / less than – “Slightly more than 40% of users preferred online shopping.”
Twice as much as – “China produced twice as much electricity as India.”

🗣 Example sentence:
“Whereas 80% of men participated in sports, only 55% of women did.”

📌 Tips to Make Your Comparisons Better

Mix it up. Use both sentence starters like “Compared to…” and connecting words like “while” or “in contrast.” This helps keep your writing varied and natural.
Avoid vague phrases like “a lot more” or “less than some.” They sound too casual.
Instead, use specific words like significantly, slightly, or nearly twice as many to describe the difference.

💬 I tell my students this all the time: The clearer your comparison, the easier it is for the examiner to follow your logic — and reward it.

Adverbs and Degree Modifiers for Accuracy

In IELTS Writing Task 1, it’s not just about what happened. It’s also about how much it happened.

Did the number increase slightly, or was it a huge jump? Was it just over 50%, or almost 90%?

These details matter. The more accurately you describe the data, the better your writing sounds. And yes, examiners notice this.

That’s why using degree modifiers is so helpful. These words show that you understand the scale of change — and they make your writing sound more academic and precise.

Let me show you the most useful ones.

🔹 Adverbs That Add Precision

Use these to describe the intensity of change:

Slightly – “The figures rose slightly in 2018.”
Moderately – “Spending increased moderately over the five-year period.”
Significantly – “The unemployment rate dropped significantly.”
Dramatically – “Sales rose dramatically after the new product launch.”
Steadily – “The number of graduates increased steadily.”

These words help you avoid repeating “increased” or “decreased” again and again.

🔹 Quantifiers for Ranges and Proportions

These help you describe percentages or amounts more naturally:

Just over / Just under – “Just over half of the students passed.”
Approximately / Around / Roughly – “Approximately 75% of respondents were satisfied.”
Nearly / Almost – “Nearly a third of the participants were under 30.”
Exactly / Precisely – “Exactly 2000 units were sold.”

🗣 Example sentence:
“Just under 60% of people preferred public transport, while nearly 30% chose private cars.”

📌 Tip for Your Writing

Don’t just list numbers. Describe them.

Instead of saying, “75% used buses”, say,
👉 “Approximately 75% of people preferred using buses.”

It’s a small change but it shows fluency, accuracy, and control. That’s what helps you stand out.

Academic Phrases to Sound More Formal

If you’re aiming for Band 7 or above, your writing needs to sound formal and academic. This doesn’t mean using big, complicated words. It just means using the right kind of language.

The examiner isn’t only checking if you understand the data. They also want to see how clearly and professionally you can explain it.

This means avoiding casual words like a lot, went up, or stayed the same. These sound too informal for an IELTS Task 1 response.

Here’s a simple upgrade chart to help you write more like a pro:

❌ Informal	✅ Academic
A lot of	A significant number of / A large proportion of
Went up	Increased / Rose
Went down	Decreased / Declined
Stayed the same	Remained constant / Stabilised
More than half	The majority
Less than half	The minority / A small proportion

🗣 Example:
❌ “A lot of people used buses in 2020.”
✅ “A significant proportion of the population used buses in 2020.”

📌 Tip for Students

Think of Task 1 as a short report. If you were writing it for a teacher or a manager, would you say “loads of people”? Probably not. You’d want to sound professional.

That’s exactly the tone the IELTS examiner is expecting.

And don’t worry — you don’t need to sound fancy. You just need to be clear, consistent, and formal.

Real Example: Sample Table Sentence Rewrites

Now let’s bring it all together and look at how vocabulary can actually change your writing.

We’ll take a few common student-style sentences and improve them using the vocabulary we’ve just covered.

These are simple upgrades — but they make a big difference in tone, clarity, and band score.

✏️ Basic Sentence 1

“The table shows the number of people who visited museums in five countries.”

✅ Improved Version
“The table presents data on museum visitors across five countries, with notable differences in attendance.”

Why this works:
We used “presents” instead of “shows,” added “data on museum visitors” to be more specific, and introduced a comparison with “notable differences.”

✏️ Basic Sentence 2

“Spain had less visitors than Italy.”

✅ Improved Version
“Spain received fewer visitors than Italy, with a noticeable gap of nearly 1.2 million.”

Why this works:
We corrected “less” to “fewer” (since “visitors” is countable), and added precision by including a number and the phrase “noticeable gap.”

✏️ Basic Sentence 3

“More than half of the people liked watching TV.”

✅ Improved Version
“A majority of respondents preferred watching television.”

Why this works:
“More than half” is okay, but it sounds a bit casual. “A majority of respondents” is more formal and academic — which is exactly what the examiner wants to see.

📌 Takeaway for You

You don’t need to use big or complicated words. Instead, focus on:

Using the right verbs (like “illustrates” or “presents”)
Swapping casual words for formal alternatives
Adding precision using modifiers and comparisons

It’s these small changes that help turn a Band 6 into a Band 7 or higher.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s answer a few common questions my students often ask when it comes to describing tables in IELTS Writing Task 1.

Q1: What’s the best way to start a table description?

Begin by paraphrasing the title and using a strong reporting verb.

🗣 Example:
“The table illustrates the number of households in three different regions between 2010 and 2020.”

Try not to copy the question word for word. Also, avoid repeating “shows” too often. Use verbs like presents, displays, or summarises instead.

Q2: Do I have to describe every number?

No, and you really shouldn’t.

IELTS Writing Task 1 is about giving a summary, not a full list.

Focus on:

The highest and lowest values
The overall trend
Any interesting comparisons

Skip small details unless they stand out for a reason.

Q3: Can I use bullet points or short notes?

No. You must write in full sentences and paragraphs.

Bullet points, lists, or informal language will hurt your score. Stick to clear, well-structured writing.

Q4: What tense should I use?

That depends on the dates in the table.

If it shows past years (like 2000 to 2020), use past tense.
If there’s no date, use present simple.
If it shows future predictions, use future forms (like “will increase”).

Always match the tense to the time period given.

Q5: How can I improve my IELTS Table vocabulary quickly?

Here’s what I recommend:

Read sample table descriptions — like the ones in this blog.
Practise rewriting basic sentences using:
- Stronger verbs
- Degree modifiers
- Formal comparison phrases

📝 Pro tip: Start a “vocabulary upgrade” notebook. Write down a simple sentence, then improve it using what you’ve learned. This habit really works.

Final Tips and Downloadable PDF

Let’s wrap things up with a quick recap.

If you want to score well in IELTS Writing Task 1, especially when describing tables, you need more than just numbers. You need to show the examiner that you can:

Use clear, varied vocabulary
Write in a formal, academic tone
Highlight key comparisons and trends
Be precise, not repetitive

And the good news? You don’t need to memorise hundreds of words.

With the right set of IELTS Table vocabulary, and a bit of focused practice, you’ll be able to describe any table confidently and naturally.

📌 In short:

Focus on what stands out.
Describe it clearly.
Support it with vocabulary that shows fluency and control.

That’s how you impress the examiner.

📚 Want to master other IELTS Writing Task 1 visuals?

🧭 Want to learn more about the IELTS exam from the official sources?
Check out these resources from trusted organisations:

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