AcademicTask 1

Top Priorities of US Companies in 2016

By Parth
August 17, 2025
Top Priorities of US Companies in 2016

Writing Task

IELTS Writing Task 1 Question

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The chart below shows the top priorities by business companies in the USA in 2016.

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

Write at least 150 words.

Sample Answer

The bar chart illustrates the top marketing priorities of US companies in 2016, grouped by firm size. Overall, converting leads into customers and increasing the number of contacts or leads were the main concerns across all businesses, while reducing acquisition costs was the least important.

For small firms with fewer than 25 employees, lead conversion and generation were equally prioritised at 71%, followed by increasing revenue from existing customers (43%). In contrast, ROI measurement (33%) and cost reduction (20%) were given less attention. Medium-sized companies placed the strongest emphasis on generating new leads (79%), slightly ahead of conversion (73%), with revenue growth and ROI both at 47% and cost reduction at 26%.

Larger enterprises showed a more balanced distribution, with 66% focusing on conversion and 62% on lead generation. Additionally, 58% valued ROI and 55% emphasised revenue from existing customers, while cost reduction (30%) remained their lowest priority.