Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-13

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 5.5)

The line graph illustrates the percentage of people living in Asian continent countries following Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia in the years 1970 to 2020 along with that future prediction is given for the years 2030 to 2040.

Overall, the percentage of Philippines and Malaysia population in the year 1970 was around 30 whereas, for Thailand and Indonesia lies in between 15 to 19 percent which was increased gradually for the countries till year 1990 whereas Philippines is having decrease in living people percentage.

With regards to inhabitants Indonesia made a dramatically change after the year 2000 which is assumed as in the year 2040 with the percentage of almost 60 similarly Malaysia is showing the increase of residents sharply 40 to 80 percent.

On the other hand, people got decreases sharply with 10 percent from the year 1990 to 2010 in the Philippines and following the moderately increase till year 2040. For Thailand its constant and started increasing after year 2020 and going to be reach at 40 percent till the year 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all four countries and the time frame, including the predictions. However, the reporting of data is often inaccurate or confusing. For example, stating that Indonesia made a 'dramatically change' after 2000 to reach 60% by 2040 is imprecise, and the description of the Philippines' trend is difficult to follow. The overview is present but lacks a clear summary of the most significant trends, such as the overall upward trajectory for all countries. The analysis is somewhat superficial, and some data points are misread or poorly described, which limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow of information is disjointed. While there is an attempt to use cohesive devices like 'Overall' and 'On the other hand', the transitions between sentences are often mechanical or confusing. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when discussing the trends for multiple countries within a single sentence. The progression of ideas is not always logical, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison of the four countries over the specified time periods.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'following Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia' and 'living people percentage'. The student struggles with accurate collocations, for example, using 'dramatically change' instead of 'dramatic change' or 'a dramatic shift'. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the lack of precision and the reliance on basic descriptive terms prevent a higher score. More varied and precise vocabulary related to trends and data reporting is needed.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Thailand and Indonesia lies'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward sentence structures (e.g., 'Philippines is having decrease in living people percentage'). While there is an attempt to use complex sentences, they are often poorly constructed or contain errors. Punctuation is also inconsistent. A greater focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for grammatical accuracy is required to improve.

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