The chart below gives information about the growth of urban population in certain parts of the world including the prediction of the future.

Growth Urban Population Certain Parts World Prediction Future - 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 6 · 211 words.

The bar chart illustrates the percentage of citizens in metropolices in various areas of the world, particularly Africa, Asia, Latin America and the whole world in 1950, 2000 and anticipated number for 2030.

Overall, all four parts of the world had and may have an upward trend in the figure of urban population, with the Latin America attracting the largest number of people in every given year. Meanwhile, Africa, despite starting from the lowest numbers, recorded the highest proportional growth.

In 1950, urban population of Latin America stood at about 40 percent, a figure far higher than that of any other countries. By 2000 this number increased sharply to approximately 70 percent, and is expected to grow to 80 percent by 2030. Similarly, the population of urban areas in the whole world had a gradual rise from roughly 30 to 48 percent and may increase to 6%. Asia, equally, experienced a dramatic growth from about 12 to 40% and expects a surge to 57 percent by 2030. Moreover, Africa had by far the smallest number of population at the beginning of the given period, with mere 10%. Although, it significantly increased to 40 percent, becoming at par with Asia and might grow to 50% at the end of the given period.

Examiner feedback

The response effectively communicates the main trends and provides a clear overview of the data. To improve, the candidate must ensure data accuracy, as numerical errors can undermine the report's reliability, and refine grammatical precision regarding articles and complex sentence structures.

Task Achievement - 6

- All key features of the chart are addressed, including the three time periods and the four regions. - A clear overview is provided identifying the general upward trend and the dominant region. - However, there is a data inaccuracy regarding the 'World' prediction (6% instead of 60%), and some figures are slightly misinterpreted (Africa in 2000 was below Asia, not exactly at par).

Coherence & Cohesion - 6

- Paragraphing is appropriate with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. - Cohesive devices such as 'Meanwhile', 'Similarly', and 'Moreover' are used to link ideas. - There is a clear progression of information, though some transitions between specific data points are slightly mechanical.

Lexical Resource - 7

- A good range of vocabulary is used to describe trends, such as 'upward trend', 'increased sharply', and 'proportional growth'. - The student attempts less common lexical items like 'metropolices' (though misspelled) and 'at par with'. - Generally effective use of collocations related to data description.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 6

- A mix of simple and complex sentence forms is attempted, though accuracy varies. - There is a significant numerical error (6% instead of 60%) that affects the accuracy of the description. - Some minor errors in article usage ('the Latin America') and prepositional phrases occur.

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