The chart below gives information about the age of women in Australia when they give birth to their first child in 1966, 1986 and 2006.
Sample Response
The bar chart compares the percentages in six age groupsThe bar chart compares the ages of Australian women when giving birth to their first child in three yearsover three different years (1966, 1986, and 2006). Overall, Deleteit can be seen that the distribution of first births shifted towards older age groupsthe average age that Australian women first gave birth increased over the 40-year periodforty year period. However, those aged 40 and over consistently represented the smallest proportion of womenwere always the lowest percentage of women giving birth to their first child.
In 1966, the most common age to give birth for the first time was between 20 and 24 years old, at over 60%, which was almost double that for those aged 25 to 29 and 19 or younger, at approximately 38% and 34%, respectively. Meanwhile, those aged 30 to 34 and 35 to 39those aged 30 to 34, and 35 to 39 each accounted for approximately 10%comprised approximately 10% each. The proportion of women aged 40 and over who gave birth for the first time was only 2%.
In 2006, the percentage of women who had their first child at age 19 or under, or between 20 and 24at the age of 19 and under, or 20 to 24 fell significantly to approximately 10% and 30%, respectively30% respectively. Additionally, the figures for the remaining age groups generally rose, though by different amountsall rose significantly, with 25 to 29 year-olds at just over 40%, 30 to 34 year-olds at just under 50%, and 35 to 39 year-olds at around 30%. The proportion ofThe percentage for women aged 40 and overwomen aged 40+ also rose slightly to about 43%.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response is strongest in its clear overview, logical organisation, and mostly accurate selection of figures for 1966 and 2006. The major limitation is the complete omission of the 1986 data, leaving the forty-year comparison incomplete despite strong language control. The highest-priority improvement is to include the middle year and compare how each age group's proportion changed across all three points in time.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview and accurate figures for 1966 and 2006 are provided, but omitting every 1986 figure is a substantial gap in task coverage.
Select key 1986 values and use them to show the gradual shift from younger to older first-time mothers across all three years.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is logically divided into an introduction, overview, and chronological detail paragraphs, with clear progression throughout.
Preserve this structure while adding a focused 1986 comparison so the progression covers the complete time series.
Lexical Resource
A good range of comparative and trend vocabulary is used accurately, with only occasional imprecise phrasing.
Refine expressions such as 'were always the lowest percentage' by referring precisely to the proportion within each age group.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex sentences with generally strong grammatical control and only minor local awkwardness.
Polish coordination and punctuation in grouped age comparisons to make already clear sentences more concise and exact.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The chart below gives information about the age of women in Australia when they give birth to their first child in 1966, 1986 and 2006.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.