Key features to report

• The UK dominates by 2004 in both products, with coffee sales of 20 million euros and banana sales of 47 million euros, far ahead of every other country.
• The UK also shows by far the biggest growth: coffee sales rose from 1.5 to 20 million euros (more than thirteen times higher) and banana sales roughly tripled from 15 to 47 million euros.
• Fairtrade coffee sales increased in all five countries, though only slightly in Denmark (1.8 to 2 million) and Sweden (0.8 to 1 million); Switzerland doubled from 3 to 6 million and Belgium rose from 1 to 1.7 million.
• Banana sales rose sharply in Switzerland (1 to 5.5 million euros) and Belgium (0.6 to 4 million euros).
• Banana sales fell in two countries: Sweden from 1.8 to 1 million euros and Denmark from 2 to 0.9 million euros, the only declines in either table.
• In 1999 Switzerland, not the UK, had the highest coffee sales (3 million euros), so the UK moved from third place to first.

Model overview

Overall, sales of both Fairtrade products grew in most of the countries over the five-year period, and the UK saw by far the most dramatic increase, becoming the largest market for both coffee and bananas by 2004. The only declines were in banana sales in Sweden and Denmark.

Paragraph plan

1. 1

   Introduction

   Paraphrase the task in one sentence: the tables compare the value of Fairtrade coffee and banana sales, in millions of euros, in five European countries in 1999 and 2004.

2. 2

   Overview

   Without figures, state that sales of both products generally increased, that the UK grew most and led both markets in 2004, and that banana sales fell in Sweden and Denmark.

3. 3

   Body paragraph 1: coffee

   Report the UK's rise from 1.5 to 20 million euros, then Switzerland's doubling from 3 to 6 million, Belgium's rise to 1.7 million and the very small increases in Denmark and Sweden.

4. 4

   Body paragraph 2: bananas

   Report the UK's rise from 15 to 47 million euros, the sharp growth in Switzerland (1 to 5.5 million) and Belgium (0.6 to 4 million), then the falls in Sweden (1.8 to 1 million) and Denmark (2 to 0.9 million).

Useful comparisons

• Organise the body by product, coffee first and bananas second, mirroring the two tables.
• Compare the UK with the other four countries together, since its 2004 figures are larger than the rest combined in both tables.
• Contrast the countries with strong growth (UK, Switzerland, Belgium) with those that changed little or declined (Denmark, Sweden).
• Point out that Denmark and Sweden are the only countries where banana sales fell, while their coffee sales barely changed.
• Note the change in rankings for coffee: Switzerland led in 1999, but the UK was far ahead in 2004.
• Use multiples to describe growth: Swiss coffee sales doubled, UK banana sales roughly tripled and Swiss banana sales rose more than fivefold.

Band 8+ model answer

206 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.

Why this answer scores highly

Task Achievement

The answer gives a clear overview of the general growth, the UK's dominance and the two exceptions, and it selects the most significant figures from both tables with correct units rather than listing every number.

Coherence and Cohesion

Each body paragraph covers one product and moves logically from the largest change to the smallest, with linking devices such as by contrast, meanwhile and the only exceptions guiding the reader.

Lexical Resource

Precise language for change, such as more than thirteenfold, roughly tripled, rose marginally and more than halved, shows a wide range and avoids repeating increase.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

The answer uses accurate past tenses, comparative structures and complex sentences with participle and relative clauses, and handles numbers and units correctly.

Useful vocabulary

Fairtrade-labelled products

goods certified as having been bought from farmers at an agreed fair price

the value of sales

the amount of money earned from selling something, here in millions of euros

the largest market

the country where the most money is spent on a product

rise more than thirteenfold

become more than thirteen times higher

roughly triple

become about three times as large

double

become twice as large

rise marginally

increase by a very small amount

remain virtually unchanged

stay almost the same

more than halve

fall to less than half of the earlier figure

buck the trend

move in the opposite direction to the general pattern

outstrip

be much greater than something else

over the five-year period

between 1999 and 2004

Common mistakes

• Writing that the UK sold 20 million coffees or 47 million bananas, when the figures are the value of sales in millions of euros, not quantities.
• Overlooking the decreases in Danish and Swedish banana sales, which are the only exceptions to the upward trend.
• Saying that the UK had the highest coffee sales in both years, when Switzerland was ahead in 1999 with 3 million euros.
• Describing each country in turn and reporting all twenty figures, instead of selecting the most significant changes.
• Using the wrong tense: the data are from 1999 and 2004, so the past simple is needed throughout.
• Writing an overview that contains figures or leaving the overview out altogether.

Frequently asked questions

Which Cambridge book is this question from?

These tables on sales of Fairtrade coffee and bananas in five European countries are Writing Task 1 of Test 2 in Cambridge IELTS 10 Academic, published in 2015.

Should I explain what Fairtrade means?

No. The note under the tables is there to help you understand the data; you do not need to define Fairtrade or explain why sales changed.

Do I need to mention every number in the tables?

No. There are twenty figures, so focus on the UK's huge growth, the general increase and the two falls in banana sales, and group the smaller changes together.

How many words should I write for this Task 1?

Write at least 150 words; around 170-200 words is enough to cover the overview and both products in about 20 minutes.