TASK 2: UNDERSTAND THE MAIN POINTS OF INFORMATION PRESENTED IN TABLES

Now, we will focus on exploring tables. This type of GOs is very popular to students and
teachers. Therefore, it is necessary for you, as professional EFL teachers, to understand
about how to comprehend and present information in tables.

What are tables? What is the purpose of presenting information in tables? How to read tables?
How are information presented using them?

First, watch this short video. It provides you with information about what tables are.

Lists and tables1

Now, you know what is meant by tables. Next, read Text 1 below to find answer to the
above questions. There are two exercises you need to complete based on your
understanding of Text 1.

1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/video/lists-and-tables
Text 1

2
Reading Tables

A table is a way of writing information in rows and columns.

The table below shows the average temperature highs and lows in Jamaica (measured in
degrees centigrade) each month.

Month of the year Average daytime Average nighttime

temperature 0C temperature 0C
January 30 19
February 29 20
March 30 21
April 31 21
May 31 22
June 32 23
July 32 23
August 33 27
September 32 23
October 32 23
November 31 22
December 31 21

Extracting information from tables

You could be asked questions about this table. To find answers you should read along the
row and down the column. Usually you’ll only need to find the correct information in the
table and give a report, although you could be asked to make a calculation using
information in the table.

Examples

Which month of the year had the highest average daytime temperature in Jamaica?
 Reading down the Average daytime temperature column, you can see that
August has a temperature of 33°C.
What is the difference between the highest average daytime temperature in December and
the lowest average nighttime temperature in December?
 Here you will need to find the row for December and look across to get the
lowest and highest temperatures for that month, then subtract the lowest
temperature from the highest temperature to find the difference: 31 – 21 = 10°C.

2
Modified from http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/factsheet/ma36list-e3-f-introduction-to-lists-and-tables
A Do these exercise and quizzes to check your understanding of the explanation in Text 1.

1 Finding information in a table3

2 Lists and tables quiz 14

B Study the following table and do all the exercises that follow.

Number of speakers of Number of speakers of

Total number of
Country English as a first English as an
English speakers
language additional language
The United States 215,000,000 36,000,000 251,000,000
India 200,000 90,000,000 90,200,000
Nigeria 4,000,000 75,000,000 79,000,000
The United Kingdom 58,100,000 1,500,000 59,600,000

1 What is the purpose of this table?

A To explain changes over time in the number of English speakers among the
countries.
B To present classifications of English speakers among the countries.
C To describe the number of English speakers among the countries within two
categories.

Put the words into the correct form.

2 The number of speakers of English as a first language (200,000) is _____ (particular)

low.
3 The number of speakers of English as an additional language, 36 million, is _____
(consider) higher than in the UK (only 1.5 million).
4 Here, they are (main) speakers of English as an additional language (75 million out of
79 million).
5 The number of speakers of English as a first language, four million, is _____ (strike)
low compared to the 75 million who speak English as an additional language.
6 People who speak English are (large) speaking it as a first language (215 million first
language speakers out of a total of 251 million).
7 With fewer than 60 million English speakers in total, there are (notice) fewer
speakers of English as an additional language than in the other three countries.

3
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/worksheet/ma36list-e3-w-reading-tables
4
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/quiz/ma36list-e3-quiz
Look back at the previous Table. Match each of the sentence in the above exercise with a
country in the table.

8 Sentence 1 _____India ______

9 Sentence 2 _______________
10 Sentence 3 _______________
11 Sentence 4 _______________
12 Sentence 5 _______________
13 Sentence 6 _______________

Learn more: Lists and tables: Entry 3 factsheets and worksheets5

Lists and tables: Level 1 factsheets and worksheets6

5
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic/lists-and-tables/resources/e3
6
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic/lists-and-tables/resources/l1