Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-22
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 given line graph compares the proportion of the population living in urban areas in the phillippines, malaysia, thailand and indonesia from 1970 to 2020, with projections to 2040.
it can be clearly seen that, the percentage of city dwellers increased in four countries over the period. malaysia consistently had the highest urban population and its projected to remain so, while indonesia saw the most dramatic growth from a lowest starting point.
in 1970, the philippines had the highest urban population at around 33%, followed by malaysia at 30%, thailand at 19% and indonesia at just 14%. over the next two decade, all figures rose, with the philippines reaching a peak of nearly 50% in 1990, rising sharply to 62% in 2000 and 72% in 2010.
by 2020, malaysia's urban population had reached 78%, while indonesia had climbed steadily to 54%, overtaking the philippines at 47% and thailand at 36%.
the projection show continued urbanization. by 2040, malaysia is expected to reach about 86% of its population living in cities, indonesia 66%, the philippines 59% and thailand 53%. indonesia show the greatest overall increase, rising from 14% to 66% over the 70-year period.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all requirements of the task. You have identified the main trends and provided relevant data points to support your descriptions. The overview is clear and highlights the key differences between the countries. However, there is a factual inconsistency in the body paragraphs: you initially state the Philippines had the highest urban population in 1970, but the graph shows Malaysia starting higher or near the top, and your description of the Philippines' growth in the 2000s seems to misinterpret the visual data provided. Despite this, the overall summary is effective and addresses the prompt well.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, moving chronologically through the data. Cohesive devices such as 'in 1970', 'over the next two decades', and 'by 2020' are used effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is appropriate, and each paragraph has a clear focus. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some transitions between sentences could be more sophisticated to improve the flow further.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'urbanization', 'projections', and 'city dwellers'. There are some minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'its projected' (should be 'it is') and 'the projection show' (should be 'projections show'). While you use some less common vocabulary, the range is somewhat limited, and there is occasional repetition of basic structures. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'growth' to avoid repetitive phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as subject-verb agreement errors ('the projection show', 'indonesia show') and punctuation issues, specifically the unnecessary comma after 'seen that'. These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. You have a good grasp of sentence construction, but more attention to proofreading for small errors like missing articles or verb endings would improve the accuracy significantly.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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