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 given line graph illustrates the percentage of people living cities in 4 different asian countrys between 1970 to 2020, and predict 2030 and 2040 population also.

To summarize, it can be seen that, Philippines had the highest number of people in 1970, who lived in cities than any other countrys. Whereas, the graph predict that in 2040, more than 80% of Malaysian citizens stay in cities, which is the highest on that time.

In 1970, just only 18% Thai people lived in cities,whereas Philippines had the highest number of citizens approximately 32% lived in cities. On the other hand, only 12% Indonesian public had stay in cities on 1970, and 30% Malaysian also. After 2 decades, in 1990 still Philippines had the highest percentage and other cities population also growing.

But in 2000, Malaysian sities cross the philippines cities population and the percentage was approximately 60% and 45% respectively.then civilization also increased rapidly and the graph predict that on 2040 Malaysian cities cross any other country cities with the number of approximate 82% citizens. On the other side Indonesia, Philippines and Thiland people lives in cities approximate 60%, 50% and 43% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main trends and makes relevant comparisons between the four countries. You successfully identified the starting point in 1970 and the projected end point in 2040. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical, listing figures rather than synthesizing the data into a cohesive narrative. While you highlight the shift in leadership from the Philippines to Malaysia, the description of the intermediate years is a bit repetitive. To improve, focus on grouping the countries by their growth patterns rather than listing them chronologically, which would provide a more analytical overview of the data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes repetitive or slightly awkward, such as the frequent use of 'and' or 'also'. The transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is clear, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'subsequently', 'in contrast', 'meanwhile'). Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel disjointed due to the lack of varied transition markers.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'percentage', 'population', and 'civilization' (though 'urbanization' would have been more accurate). There are several spelling errors, such as 'countrys', 'sities', 'Thiland', and 'philippines' (which should be capitalized). Additionally, word choice is occasionally imprecise, such as 'civilization' instead of 'urbanization' or 'public' instead of 'population'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring correct spelling of key terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('graph predict', 'Malaysian sities cross') and prepositional usage ('in 1970' vs 'on 1970'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and periods. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement will significantly improve the clarity and accuracy of your writing.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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