Writing Task 1: Line Graph: Question 3
Syllabus W.task1
The line graph below shows the population of the town of Northgate, divided into three age groups, between 1990 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Year | Under 18 (thousands) | 18-64 (thousands) | 65 and over (thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 22 | 58 | 12 |
| 2000 | 20 | 63 | 15 |
| 2010 | 19 | 65 | 21 |
| 2020 | 18 | 64 | 29 |
The graph plots population in thousands on the vertical axis against four time points a decade apart, from 1990 to 2020, on the horizontal axis, with a separate line for each of the three age groups; the under-18 line falls gently and stays lowest for most of the period, the 18-64 line rises then flattens out, and the 65-and-over line climbs steadily throughout, overtaking the under-18 line by the final time point shown.
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Worked solution
Examiner notes: why this is a band 9 response
Task Achievement
The overview names the single biggest story in the data, population ageing, and previews all three sub-trends (rising elderly population, falling child population, rising-then-flattening working-age population) before any figures appear. The body then selects the most reportable features: the 1990 starting ranking, the 2010 peak in the working-age line, and the overtaking of the under-18 line by the 65-and-over line by 2020, rather than reading out all twelve numbers with no shape.
Coherence & Cohesion
Information is grouped by theme rather than strictly by year, with the working-age and under-18 trends handled together before the most significant change (the elderly population) is saved for its own final paragraph, giving the response a clear sense of building to its most important point. Cohesion is achieved through referencing (“by then”, “the same period”) rather than repeated connectors.
Lexical Resource
Precise trend language is used without repetition (“more than doubled”, “levelling off”, “dipping slightly”, “climbed”, “overtaking”), and the phrase “the most dramatic change” appropriately signals relative significance among the three trends.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Complex sentences combine multiple pieces of information accurately (“the number of residents aged 65 and over more than doubled… while the number of children and teenagers under 18 fell slightly, and the working-age population grew before levelling off”), and all figures, units and comparatives are formed correctly.
Common pitfalls specific to this task
See commonMistakes above: the most damaging is missing the overtaking point between the under-18 and 65-and-over lines. A band 9 response actively looks for where lines cross or swap rank, not just how each one moves in isolation.