Task
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.
Candidate’s Answer
This is written by a candidate who achieved a Band 6.0 score.
The diagrams show statistic information regarding the ages of the habitants of Yemen and Italy in 2000 and also a estimative for 2050.
We can see that in 2000 the majority of people in Yemen was between 0 and 14 years old, with 50.1%, whereas in Italy most of the population was between 15-59 years old (61.6%), in the same year. On the other hand, just 3.6% of people in the former country was 60 years old or more in 2000, while in the latter country this figure is represented with 24.1%.
The projections for 2050 show that the number of people with 15-59 years and 60 years or more will increase in Yemen, reaching 57.3% and 5.7% respectively. In contrast, in Italy, the population with 15-59 years will decrease to 46.2%, while people with 60 years or more will grow to 42.3%.
Overall, it is possible to see that there is an upward trend on the rates of people with 60 years or more in both countries.
Examiner’s Comment
The answer addresses the task, reporting sufficient details for the reader to be accurately informed, even though in each chart one element is implied rather than overtly stated. Clear comparisons are drawn between the two countries. An overview is given, although focusing on only one age group reduces its clarity. The information is well organised and a range of linking devices used, e.g. whereas; the latter country. Vocabulary is adequate for the task and generally accurate, though attempts to use less common words are less successful. A few errors occur in word formation, e.g. statistic(statistical); estimative(estimate), but they do not affect understanding. Simple and complex sentence forms are produced with few grammatical errors, but the range of structures is rather restricted.
