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IELTS Task 1 Table: Household Energy Costs by Region

The table below shows average annual household energy costs (in US$) for five dwelling types across four regions in one country in 2023. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Average Annual Household Energy Costs by Dwelling Type and Region (2023)US$

	Northern Region	Central Region	Southern Region	Capital City
Detached house	2,850	2,540	2,100	2,400
Semi-detached house	2,200	1,980	1,650	1,900
Terraced house	1,940	1,720	1,480	1,700
Apartment	1,350	1,180	980	1,450
Studio flat	920	800	680	1,050

Practice data for exam preparation, not real statistics.

Academic Writing Task 1 · 20 minutes · at least 150 words

How to approach it

Group comparisons by dwelling type (smallest to largest) and by region (highest to lowest costs), rather than reading across every row. Note that Capital City breaks the north-to-south pattern for apartments and studio flats, which is a key comparison to highlight. Avoid listing every figure in the table or suggesting reasons why costs differ.

Overview to aim for

Detached houses were the costliest dwelling type in all regions while studio flats were the cheapest, and energy costs broadly decreased from the Northern to the Southern Region, with the Capital City proving a partial exception for smaller properties.

Key features to report

Detached houses in the Northern Region had the highest costs overall at $2,850, while Southern Region studio flats were the lowest at $680.
Costs for every dwelling type were highest in the Northern Region and lowest in the Southern Region, except in the Capital City.
Capital City apartments ($1,450) and studio flats ($1,050) exceeded equivalent costs in both the Central Region and the Southern Region.
Northern Region detached house costs ($2,850) were roughly three times those of studio flats in the same region ($920).

Paragraph plan

Introduction: Paraphrase the task: state that the table presents average yearly energy costs in US dollars for five dwelling types across four regions in 2023.
Overview: Summarise the two dominant patterns: detached houses are the most expensive in every region, studio flats the cheapest, and costs generally decline from north to south.
Body 1: Compare costs across dwelling types, using the highest and lowest figures to illustrate the wide gap between detached houses and studio flats.
Body 2: Compare costs across regions, highlighting the north-to-south decline and the notable exception that Capital City apartments and studio flats exceed the Central and Southern regions.

Useful language

ranged from … to … – Show the full spread of values within a category, e.g. detached house costs across regions.
was considerably higher than – Contrast a much larger figure with a smaller one, e.g. detached vs. studio flat costs.
followed a similar pattern – Note that multiple dwelling types share the same regional trend.
the most/least expensive category – Identify which dwelling type or region sits at the top or bottom.
with the exception of – Flag the Capital City anomaly for smaller dwelling types.
costs decreased progressively – Describe the north-to-south decline across regions.
accounted for roughly [X] times the cost of – Express a proportional difference between two dwelling types.
stood at – Introduce a precise figure cleanly, e.g. 'studio flat costs in the Northern Region stood at $920'.

Common mistakes on this question

Listing every cell value row by row instead of grouping by dwelling type or region to identify patterns.
Overlooking the Capital City exception, where apartment and studio flat costs are higher than in the Central and Southern regions despite being geographically southern.
Confusing the direction of the comparison, e.g. stating studio flats are more expensive than detached houses, by misreading rows and columns.

Band 9 model answer

Show the model answer (try writing your own first)

The table illustrates the average yearly energy expenditure, measured in US dollars, for five categories of dwelling across four regions of one country in 2023.

Overall, detached houses incurred the highest energy costs in every region, while studio flats were consistently the cheapest. Costs also tended to decrease from the Northern Region to the Southern Region, although the Capital City was a notable exception for smaller properties.

Detached houses were by far the most expensive dwelling type, with annual costs ranging from $2,100 in the Southern Region to $2,850 in the Northern Region. Studio flats, at the other extreme, cost between $680 and $1,050 per year, meaning that in the Northern Region, detached house costs were approximately three times those of studio flats. Semi-detached houses, terraced houses, and apartments fell consistently between these two extremes across all regions.

Regarding regional variation, the Northern Region recorded the highest costs for every dwelling type, and figures declined progressively through the Central and Southern regions. However, Capital City apartments ($1,450) and studio flats ($1,050) were more expensive than their equivalents in both the Central and Southern regions, making the Capital City an exception to the broader north-to-south trend.

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IELTS Task 1 Table: Household Energy Costs by Region

How to approach it

Overview to aim for

Key features to report

Paragraph plan

Useful language

Common mistakes on this question

Band 9 model answer

Write your answer and get a band score

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Your recent checks

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IELTS Task 1 Table: Household Energy Costs by Region

How to approach it

Overview to aim for

Key features to report

Paragraph plan

Useful language

Common mistakes on this question

Band 9 model answer

Write your answer and get a band score

Your recent checks

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