Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-12

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 6.0)

The line graph illustrats the percentage of the population living in cities in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia from 1970 to 2000, with predictions for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, the proportion of people living in cities increased in all asian countries mentioned over the period; Although phillipines experienced some fluctuations. Malaysia had the highest percentage of population and expected to remain the country with most population in 2040.

In 1970, Malyaria and phillipines had around 30% of population lived in each cities. Malaysia steadily rose to 60% by 2000 and remained the highest till 2020 by 75% approximately and assumed to be the most urbanised city in 2040. In contrast, Phillipines had maximum growth of 45% by 1990 and then remained moderate reaching about 50% in 2040.

Furthermore, Indonesia showed very less proportion of population of 15% in 1970 and this figure had grew rapidly to 50% in 2020 and forecasted to be the second largest city with population of 60%. Lastly, Thailand also seen considerable growth from 13% in 1970 to around 40-45% in 2010 and it is predicted to rise sharply to approximately 64% in 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all four countries and the time frame provided. You have successfully identified the main trends, such as Malaysia's leading position and the rapid growth in Indonesia and Thailand. However, the overview is slightly weakened by minor inaccuracies, such as stating the Philippines had 'fluctuations' when the data shows a generally upward trend, and referring to countries as 'cities' (e.g., 'most urbanised city'). While the key features are highlighted, the analysis could be more precise in comparing the specific data points between the countries to better satisfy the 'comparisons where relevant' requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The use of cohesive devices like 'In contrast', 'Furthermore', and 'Lastly' helps guide the reader through the information. However, there are some issues with referencing and clarity; for instance, the phrase 'most urbanised city' is confusing because you are describing countries, not cities. Additionally, some sentences are slightly disjointed, and the flow between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, but the mechanical use of some cohesive devices prevents a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'urbanised', 'forecasted', and 'considerable growth'. However, there are several spelling errors ('illustrats', 'Malyaria', 'phillipines') and word choice issues, such as using 'city' to refer to a country. The phrase 'very less proportion' is grammatically incorrect and unnatural. To reach a higher band, you should focus on more accurate collocations and ensure that your vocabulary is used precisely to describe the data trends without confusing the subjects of your sentences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'Malaysia... expected to remain' (missing 'is'), 'had grew' (incorrect tense), and 'Thailand also seen' (missing auxiliary verb). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are issues with capitalization of proper nouns like 'Asian', 'Philippines', and 'Malaysia'. These errors occur throughout the text. While they do not impede communication, they indicate a lack of control over complex structures, which limits the score in this criterion.

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