IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 #6
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Tip:Â The key to dealing with tables is to look for data you can group together. In the table below, which items have similar trends?
Write at least 150 words.
The chart below shows the average monthly expenses of a student in the UK in 2020 and 2022.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features. Make comparisons where relevant.
The table compares the typical monthly expenditure of students who studied in a British university in 2020 and 2022. Overall, the average monthly outlay for a student increased by more than a quarter, from less than £800 to more than £1000 per month.
The biggest expense for a student was on rent, which increased drastically from £418 to £641. The second biggest item, groceries, remained almost the same at around £100 per month. Many of the other expense categories listed showed a similar modest upward trend including household bills, course materials, going out and gifts and charity. In percentage terms, there was a larger rise in the amount spent buying clothes, on takeaways and health and well being. Some expenses did fall with transport dropping from £43 to £34, spending on holidays decreasing by £8 to £14 per month, and £1 less being spent on mobile phone bills. Finally, the amount spent on miscellaneous costs rose from £10 to £18.
In summary, the monthly cost of living for students in the UK grew, with rent and groceries remaining the largest costs.
Useful Language
typical – normal/average
outlay – amount of money spent
drastically – a lot
modest upward trend – a small increase
in percentage terms – when considering a change as a percentage
