Population Growth Line Graph
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 184 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 20 minutes. Write at least 150 words.
The line graph below shows the population growth in three cities — Lagos, Mumbai, and Shanghai — from 1970 to 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. [Chart Data] Year | Lagos (millions) | Mumbai (millions) | Shanghai (millions) 1970 | 1.4 | 5.8 | 6.0 1980 | 2.6 | 8.1 | 5.9 1990 | 4.8 | 12.3 | 7.8 2000 | 7.3 | 16.1 | 13.2 2010 | 10.6 | 18.4 | 20.2 2020 | 15.4 | 20.7 | 27.1
How to approach it
- 01Paraphrase the question in your introduction — don't copy it word for word
- 02Include an overview paragraph summarising the key trends before going into detail
- 03Describe changes over time using phrases like 'rose steadily', 'surged dramatically', 'dipped marginally'
- 04Compare the cities directly — don't describe each one in isolation
- 05Use approximate language where appropriate: 'roughly', 'approximately', 'just over'
Model answer
184 words in 5 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
The line graph illustrates population trends in Lagos, Mumbai, and Shanghai over a fifty-year period from 1970 to 2020, measured in millions.
Overall, all three cities experienced significant population growth, though the patterns and rates of increase varied considerably. Shanghai overtook Mumbai to become the most populous of the three by 2020.
Mumbai began the period as the second most populated city at 5.8 million in 1970 and grew steadily throughout the period, reaching 20.7 million by 2020. Its growth was relatively consistent, roughly tripling and a half over the five decades.
Shanghai started at 6.0 million in 1970, making it the largest of the three initially. Interestingly, its population dipped marginally to 5.9 million in 1980 before climbing sharply from the 1990s onwards. By 2020, it had surged to 27.1 million, representing the most dramatic increase overall.
Lagos showed the most remarkable proportional growth. From a modest 1.4 million in 1970, it expanded more than tenfold to 15.4 million by 2020, with particularly rapid acceleration after 1990. Despite this explosive growth, it remained the smallest of the three cities throughout the entire period.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 38 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
23.5 fewer than the median answer for this task type
7 words at the shortest, 26 at the longest
1 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 16.7 words and vary by 5 words either side of that, running from 7 words to 26. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 1 of the 11 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
4 in total, spread across 2 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
despite, though
overall
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 71 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 59 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 4 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Achievement
Identify and describe all major trends and make comparisons
Coherence & Cohesion
Organise by trend or feature, not city by city
Lexical Resource
Use a range of language for describing trends and changes
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Accurate use of past tenses and comparative structures
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