(From Cambridge IELTS Book 10, test 2) You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The tables below give information about sales of Fairtrade-labelled coffee and bananas in 1999 and 2004 in five European countries. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
Sample band 7 response by E. Tahassoni: The tables show how fairtrade coffee and banana sales changed in five countries in 2004
compared to 1999. Overall, coffee sales rose in all countries, with the UK experiencing the
greatest change. Banana sales also rose in all but two countries, and were highest in the UK.
In 1999, the most significant coffee sales, 3 million (3m) euros were reported in Switzerland, and
they doubled in 2004. The figure for the UK was originally 50% lower than that for Switzerland
(1.5m) while sales in Denmark were slightly higher (1.8m). However, while the former rose
dramatically to 20m, the latter remained relatively stable. There was little difference between
the figures for Belgium (1m) and Sweden (0.8m), and both experienced noticeable increases to
1.7m and 1m, respectively.
UK had the highest banana sales in both years, as they rose over threefold from 15 million euros
to 47m. Swiss sales were originally almost twice as high as those of Denmark (1 and 0.6m,
respectively), and both surged, reaching 5.5 and 4m. There was little difference between the
figures for Sweden and Belgium (2 and 1.8m, respectively), and both nearly halved to reach
about 1m in 2004.
(193 words)
