IELTS Task 1: Household Expenditure by Country (Table)
The Task
The table below gives information about the average monthly household expenditure (as a percentage of total spending) in three countries. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Category | Country A | Country B | Country C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | 35% | 28% | 22% |
| Food | 18% | 25% | 38% |
| Transport | 15% | 14% | 12% |
| Healthcare | 12% | 9% | 6% |
| Education | 8% | 12% | 14% |
| Leisure / Other | 12% | 12% | 8% |
Sample Band 8 Response
158 wordsModel answer written by EduForEveryone — for guidance only. Not an official examiner response.
The table compares the percentage of household spending allocated to six categories in three countries, labelled A, B and C.
Overall, housing was the largest expense in Country A, whereas food dominated spending in Country C; in general, Country A devoted more to housing and healthcare, while Country C spent far more on food.
Households in Country A spent the greatest share on housing, at 35%, followed by food at 18%. They also recorded the highest healthcare spending, at 12%. Country C showed the opposite emphasis: food accounted for by far the largest portion of its budget at 38%, while housing took only 22% and healthcare a mere 6%.
Country B generally fell between the two on most categories, with 28% on housing and 25% on food. Education absorbed a slightly larger share in Countries B and C (12% and 14%) than in Country A (8%), while transport and leisure spending were broadly similar across all three countries.