Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The graph below gives information about the percentage of the population in four Asian countries living in cities from 1970 to 2020, with predictions for 2030 and 2040. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

 

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The graph illustrates the proportion of the population across four different countries from 1970 to 2020, with forecast for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that, Malaysia shows the highest population at the end of the period among four countries. Another noticeable point, all the countries represent a growth pattern throughout the year.

Regarding Philippines, it was the highest proportion country at the begining just over 30%, before some fluctuation form 1980 to 2010 between just over 30% to around just over 40%. then it showed a gradual growth peak at over 50%. In addition, Malaysia was the second higest populated country in 1970. After 1970 it accounted a sharp rose, peak at over 80% in 2040.

For the remaining, Thailand accounted a steady growth form just under 20% to over 40% from 1970 to

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the main overall direction and correctly note that Malaysia finishes highest, while the Philippines begins with the largest share. However, the response only partially covers the graph: it stops during the Thailand description and gives no account of Indonesia, whose rise to about 64% is a major feature. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the Philippines fluctuates from around 32% to 48%, rather than staying between just over 30% and just over 40%, and the claim that all countries grow throughout overlooks the Philippines’ decline after 1990. The response is also below the required 150 words. To develop the report, complete the comparisons and accurately summarise the key changes across the full period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, with an introduction, an overview and a paragraph describing individual countries. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is organised. However, the progression is incomplete: the final sentence breaks off at “from 1970 to”, leaving the account unfinished, and Indonesia is not integrated into the comparison. Linking phrases such as “Overall”, “Regarding” and “In addition” help signal movement between points, but some transitions are awkward and the country-by-country sequence does not yet build a complete overview of the data. Use a clear overview followed by grouped comparisons, and ensure each paragraph and sentence is complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “proportion”, “fluctuation”, “gradual growth” and “steady growth”. These choices show an attempt to use language suited to a graph rather than relying only on basic terms. However, several inaccurate or unnatural expressions reduce precision: “highest population” should refer to the highest urban proportion, “sharp rose” is not the correct form, and “accounted a steady growth” is an awkward collocation. Spelling errors such as “begining” and “higest” are also noticeable. Aim for accurate, natural phrases such as “the proportion living in cities rose” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, including a sentence with “before” to describe change over time. However, control is inconsistent, and several sentence patterns are incomplete or faulty. For example, “Malaysia was the second higest populated country” has an unclear grammatical construction, while “After 1970 it accounted a sharp rose” lacks a suitable verb pattern. The final sentence is unfinished, and “then it showed” begins with an incorrectly capitalised word after a full stop. There are also problems with articles and sentence punctuation in the overview. Practise complete, well-formed comparisons, and check verb forms, sentence boundaries and capitalisation.

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