Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-01

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 line graph illustrates comparison of data about the number of residents in four Asian countries living in urban areas between 1970 and 2020 and also give the prediction about 2030 and 2040.

Overall, the trend in living cities was gradually increasing from 1970 to 2020 and in given prediction population also incline.

In Phillippines,residents in the country generally fluctuate from 1970 to 2010 but from 2010 to 2020 its steadily increases.Its increase from 30% to 50%.Furthermore,prediction also shows that its increased year by year.In addition,the number of citizens in Malaysia constantly increase from 1970 to 1990.However,its sharply increase between 1990 to 2020.The prediction also shows its increased gradually.In Thailand,whole trend is like to increase of population from 1970 to 2020. Its consists of 25% in 1990 and in 2020 its goes around 30% ot fotal population.The population of indonesia also increased year by year gradaully from 1970 to 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers all four countries and mentions the time frame, but the analysis is superficial. While you identify some trends, you fail to provide specific data points to support your claims effectively. For example, you mention Malaysia 'sharply' increased but do not provide the corresponding percentages. Furthermore, the description of the Philippines as 'fluctuating' is inaccurate based on the typical interpretation of such graphs, and the summary of Indonesia lacks any specific figures. To improve, ensure you select key features—such as the starting and ending points or the most significant growth periods—and support them with accurate data from the graph. The overview is present but lacks clarity regarding the overall comparative trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the flow of ideas is somewhat mechanical. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Furthermore', 'In addition', and 'However', but they are often used to link sentences that lack logical progression. The paragraphing is inconsistent, as the body paragraph is quite dense and attempts to cover too much information without clear separation between the countries. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as when you use 'its' repeatedly without a clear noun antecedent. To improve, focus on grouping information more logically—perhaps by comparing countries with similar trends—and ensure that each sentence follows naturally from the previous one.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive. You frequently use basic verbs like 'increase' and 'shows' without variation. There are also several spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'Phillippines' (Philippines), 'ot fotal' (of total), and 'gradaully' (gradually). The phrase 'whole trend is like to increase' is unnatural and lacks the precision required for an academic report. To achieve a higher band, you should incorporate a wider variety of synonyms for growth (e.g., 'climb', 'surge', 'upward trend') and ensure accurate spelling and collocation. Focus on using more precise terminology to describe data trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There is a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You struggle with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'residents... generally fluctuate' (should be past tense) and 'its steadily increases' (should be 'it steadily increased'). Punctuation is also problematic, with missing spaces after commas and periods throughout the text. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of grammatical errors is high enough to cause some distraction for the reader. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, specifically ensuring that subjects and verbs agree and that verb tenses are used consistently when describing past data.

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