The Table Below Gives Information About Changes in Modes of Travel

The table below gives information about changes in modes of travel in England between 1985 and 2000.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Sample Essay

The data presented in the table illustrates changes in means of transport in England from 1985 to 2000.

Overall, the average distance travelled per person increased during this period, and cars were used far more frequently than other forms of transport in both years.

In 1985, people in England travelled an average of 4,740 miles including all modes of transport and, by 2000, this number had increased significantly to 6,475 miles. Car travel was by far the most common means of transport in both years, with an average of 3,199 miles per person in 1985 and 4,806 miles in 2000. 

Train travel increased to 366 miles per person in 2000, which was the third longest distance that year. Meanwhile, travel by long-distance bus and taxi also grew, although they remained among the least used forms of transport in 2000, with only 124 miles and 42 miles respectively.

However, travel by local bus showed a substantial decrease, with an average distance of only 274 miles in 2000, compared to 429 miles in 1985. The average distances people walked and cycled also fell, to 237 miles and 41 miles respectively. (192 words)

How to Vary Your Language

Modes of travel

Average distance travelled by car

Average distance travelled by foot

Average distance travelled by bicycle

How to Select Data

This chart has a lot of data. You will lose marks if you report all of them because the question only asks you to write about the main features. That is to say, you only need to report the important data.

‘Cars’ and ‘all modes’ are definitely important categories, so their data in both years should be included.

“Other” is not important. Otherwise, they would have told you what exactly those other modes of travel are. So, you don’t need to write about ‘other’ at all.

For the rest of the categories, you can only report their data in 2000.

Common Mistake

The sentence above is incorrect. The problem is the use of “each person”. It’s a mistake to change the use of “per person” (in the title of the table) to something involving “each person” because it gives the impression of there being an “average person” who did all those things, which is not the case.