Read carefully these five introductions (1-5) written by IELTS candidates. The answer questions A and B for each introduction.
A Does the candidate give enough information about the table?
B Does the candidate described the information in the table accurately?
The table below gives information about student enrolments at Bristol University in 1928, 1958, and 2008.
1 In the table we can see some information about students enrolled at Bristol University from the year 1928 till 2008.
a. enough information?
no: ‘some information’ gives no idea what kind of information we can learn from the table
b. accurate?
no: ‘1928 till 2008’ suggest that we can learn about all the years between (instead of just of three years given)
2 The table shows the numbers of student enrolments at Bristol University, covering the number of students, the percentage of female and male, and where they come from, in three different years.
a. enough information?
this is a better introduction than 1; it could be improved by mentioning which three years it refers to
b. accurate?
yes
3 This table shows the number of people who are studying at Bristol University and the number of people of each gender as well. Also, it shows the distance that student come from, divided into two categories: within 30 miles of Bristol and overseas.
a. enough information?
no: there is no mention of the time period covered by the table
b. accurate?
no: the reader gets the impression that the table only refers to the present time
4 The table illustrates some information about student enrolments at Bristol University. The table shows the percentages of male and female students and how many students come from overseas or within 30 miles of Bristol in 1928,1958 and 2008.
a. enough information?
This is good introduction, except for one small error (see right)
b. accurate?
almost: but the table does not tell us ‘how many students’ came from overseas or within 30 miles – it tells us ‘what percentage’ (we would have to do a sum to find out how many!)
5 The table gives information about Bristol University students enrolments, the percentage of males and females and what area they came from in the years 1928, 1958 and 2008.
a. enough information?
this is not a bad introduction, apart from one error (see right)
b. accurate?
no: the table does not tell us ‘what area ‘the student come from
