The charts below give information on the ages of the populations of Yemen and Italy in 2000 and projections for 2050.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
This essay question is from Cambridge IELTS 9 Test 3 Writing Task 1.
Sample Essay
The pie charts display age distributions for Yemen and Italy in 2000 and predictions for 2050.
Overall, while both countries’ populations are forecast to age, that of Yemen will continue to be younger than that of Italy.
About half of Yemen’s population was under the age of 14; however, this proportion is projected to decline significantly to 37.0 percent. The proportion of those aged 15-59, in comparison, is anticipated to increase roughly 10 percentage points to just over 57 percent in 2050, making this group the largest that year. The proportion of those over 60 is also forecast to climb, to 5.7 percent.
Moving on to Italy, around a quarter of its population was already in the highest age bracket, and this figure is projected to rise dramatically to 42.3 percent. Those in the lowest age group, by contrast, only accounted for a small proportion of Italy’s population, at 14.3 percent; this number is estimated to drop even further, to only 11.5 percent. The proportion of 15- to 59-year-olds is also expected to experience a fall, from 61.6 to 46.2 percent. (187 Words)
Age Distributions
In the first paragraph, note how I used age distribution to paraphrase the original text. Age distribution is used to describe how certain population group is divided according to how old they are.
How To Write the Overview
It would be too detailed if we describe the individual trend of each age group. Instead, look at the bigger picture. What are the overall trends? Will they get younger or older (the red part in the essay)? Apart from the trends, we also need to compare the two countries. Ask yourself which country had and will have an older population (the blue part).
How To Vary Your Language
0-14 years
15-59 years
60+ years
The population is expected/forecast/anticipated/projected/predicted/estimated to become older.
22 CommentsLeave A Comment
I wondering for this kind of information,at last I’ve got that.. Thanks a million Lillie
Hi, this might be an odd question. I noticed that you use “percent” instead of using % in all data. Is it acceptable to use % ?
Hey Jason, I used “percent” simply because it’s easier to type that word than to type “%” and, yes, you can use “%”.
I am confused with the term “age distribution” on the 1st paragraph (introduction). Are you sure that is a good phrasal to write? Isn’t the distribution means “to give” or “to distribute” something like that. Please explain this with examples. I am so confused about it.
Hi, don’t worry. “Age distribution” is a very good term to use here. It’s a quantitative description of how certain population group is divided according to how old they are. You can google its meaning or read its definition here.
hi, could u give reason when u use ‘” to predicted”‘ or “‘was predicted””.
Hi, thanks for your comment. The correct form is “something is predicted to increase”. The two expressions you suggested are incorrect.
Mam I didn’t understand the red line. Could you please write me a another version of the overall of this same pie chart?
Sorry for the late reply. The red clause means that, compared with 2000, both countries will have a higher percentage of older people.
The proportion of those over 60 is also forecast to clime, to 5.7 percent.
or,
The proportion of those over 60 is also forecasted to clime, to 5.7 percent.
Which one would be correct?
Hi, thanks for your question. Although both are used, “forecast” is the preferred form. You can read more here.
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写的真的太好了！每次看一次都要感叹一次！
Thanks for your kind words. Please use English to comment next time.
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Yes your content is very goodl..I wanna ask How to write over all for task 1….?
Thanks for your question. As for pie charts, you need to look for general trends as well as the biggest categories. Hope this helps.
Mam I didn’t understand the overall paragraph despite reading the “how to write overall” paragraph. Could you please explain it a little bit more for me?
Hi, thanks for your question. Can you tell me exactly where you don’t understand?
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Thanks for liking my content, but I don’t sell anything yet. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll do my best to respond.