The graph shows children by age group as a percentage of the young population in the United Kingdom between 1990 and 2001.
Sample Response
The line graph illustrates how the age-group shares of the UK's young population variedyoung population in the UK varied between 1990 and 2001during the 1990s comparing over the periodtheir ratio throughout a decade. Overall the trend shows that the share of children aged 0–4the ratio of toddlers among the young population declinedyoung generation witnessed a decline, while the percentage of 10–14-year-olds10-14 years youngsters’ percentage increasedhad seen an increase over time.
The detailed analysis shows that the ratio of children aged 0–4infants (babies between 0-4 years old) declined in the UK over time. Their share of the young populationTheir ratio among the youth in the UK was just below 26% in 1990 andwhich dropped to approximatelysomewhat 23.5% in 2001after a decade. In contrast, children aged 10 to 14children between 10 to 14 years increased as a share of the young populationwitnessed a positive growth rate in terms of their percentage change for the same time period and went above 26% in 2001.
The other striking feature is the drastic slump in the share of British 15–19-year-oldspopulation of British teenagers (15 to 19 years old) for the period from 1990 to 1994 when it touched a lowlow ceiling of almost 23% from a just over 26%healthy 26%. However, it grew again thereafter and returned to 25%25% per cent.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response is clearly organised and uses a reasonably varied range of language to describe three age groups, with an overview that captures two major long-term movements. Its main limitation is incomplete coverage: the 5–9 group is omitted and the early rise in the 0–4 group is overlooked; the priority is to compare all four series and include their most important turning points.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The overview correctly identifies the decline in 0–4s and rise in 10–14s, but one entire series is omitted and some variation is oversimplified.
Add the 5–9 trend and note that 0–4s first peaked around 1992 before falling, while 15–19s recovered after 1994.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response has clear paragraphing and logical progression from the overview to selected age-group trends.
Use a consistent comparison structure across body paragraphs so related age groups are paired and contrasts are easier to scan.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied enough to describe movement, but several choices are exaggerated, redundant, or unnatural, such as ‘low ceiling’ and ‘25% per cent’.
Prefer precise neutral terms such as ‘fell to a low’, ‘recovered’, and ‘percentage’, avoiding inflated trend wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex sentences communicates the trends clearly, though modifier, tense, and age-range constructions contain recurring slips.
Use forms such as ‘children aged 10–14’ and keep past tense consistent throughout the historical description.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph shows children by age group as a percentage of the young population in the United Kingdom between 1990 and 2001.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.