The chart below shows Japan's population by age groups starting in 1960 and including a forecast to 2040.

Chart shows Japan population age groups starting 1960 including forecast 2040 - IELTS Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

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

Write at least 150 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 8.5 · 177 words.

The line graph illustrates changes in the proportion of Japan's population across three age groups (0-14, 25-64, and 65+) from 1960, with projections extending to 2040.

Overall, the most striking trend is the dramatic increase in the elderly population, which is set to overtake both younger age groups by 2040, while the proportion of children has declined steadily throughout the period.

In 1960, the working-age group (25-64) already made up the largest share of the population at around 65%, and this figure rose to a peak of roughly 70% in 1970 and 1990, before falling back to about 56% by 2040. In contrast, children aged 0-14 accounted for approximately 30% of the population in 1960, rising slightly to 35% in 1970, but then declining consistently to reach just 10% by 2040.

Meanwhile, the over-65 age group started at a mere 5% in 1960 and remained low until 1990. From 2000 onwards, however, this group grew rapidly, overtaking the 0-14 group by around 2000 and continuing to climb to approximately 35% by 2040, nearly matching the working-age population.

Examiner feedback

This is an exceptionally high-quality response that demonstrates near-native proficiency in language use. The writing is fluent, the vocabulary is sophisticated, and the grammatical control is flawless. The only minor area for improvement is the precision of the overview, which contains a small logical inconsistency regarding which groups are overtaken.

Task Achievement - 8

- The response covers all key features of the graph and provides a clear overview of the main trends. - There is a slight factual inaccuracy in the overview: it states the elderly will overtake "both" younger groups, but the data provided later shows it remains below the 25-64 group (35% vs 56%). - Data is well-selected and used effectively to support the description of all three age categories.

Coherence & Cohesion - 9

- Paragraphing is logically organized, separating the overview, the working/younger age groups, and the elderly demographic. - Cohesive devices such as "In contrast," "Meanwhile," and "however" are used naturally to signpost comparisons. - Information is sequenced chronologically, which makes the progression of the data easy to follow.

Lexical Resource - 9

- Sophisticated vocabulary is used to describe trends (e.g., "dramatic increase," "set to overtake," "declined steadily"). - Lexical items like "projections," "working-age group," and "proportions" are used accurately within the context of data description. - Collocations are natural and the word choice is highly precise.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 9

- A wide range of complex structures is used with full flexibility and control. - Tense usage is perfectly managed, transitioning correctly between historical data (past tense) and forecasts (future forms). - The response is error-free with precise punctuation throughout.

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