Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-03
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 chart tracks the information regarding the proportion of the population in four different Asian nations who prefers to live in urban areas from 1970 to 2020. Additionally, the predictions about their future population trends typically from 2030 to 2040 is also made.
It is evident that Philippines and Malaysia stands at the higher percentage as both countries' 30% population lived in cities in 1970. It is observed that Malaysia's citizens continuously prefers urban life as 70% of population lived in cities at the end of 2020 and research's estimates that the number will steadily increases and will peaking at almost 80% in 2040. Philippines citizens continuously changed their mind over the period as firstly it's percentage dramatically increased from 30% to 50% in 20 years and then again decreased by almost 20% in next 20 years and at end of 2020 the number stood at 40%. Researcher's estimates that the number will goes to 50% at the end of 2040.
On the other hand, Thailand and Indonesia both lied at the lower end in the year 1970 as both countries' citizens prefers village life their percentage was 19% and 15% respectively at the start. By the time Indonesia's population started moving to cities and at the end of 2020 their 50% population lived in cities. It is estimated that the number continuously increases in future and almost 60% population will prefer urban life at the end of 2040. It is observed that Thailand shows steadily increase in the number at the beginning and then maintain it's percentage at the end of 2020 with almost 30%. It is estimated that the percentage will increases in the coming future and at the end of 2040 it will goes at 40%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all four countries and the time periods provided. You have successfully identified the main trends, such as the growth in Malaysia and Indonesia, and the fluctuations in the Philippines. However, the analysis of the data is occasionally inaccurate; for example, you state the Philippines' percentage 'decreased by almost 20% in next 20 years' and stood at 40% in 2020, which is a misinterpretation of the visual data. To improve, ensure that your data extraction is precise. While you have included an overview, it is integrated into the body paragraphs rather than being presented as a clear, distinct summary of the main trends at the beginning.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction followed by body paragraphs grouping the countries. You use some cohesive devices like 'On the other hand' and 'Additionally' to link ideas. However, the flow is sometimes hindered by mechanical phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the use of 'the number' without specifying which data point is being referred to. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that guides the reader through the data.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'urban areas', and 'steadily'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'research's estimates that the number will steadily increases' (should be 'research estimates that the number will steadily increase') and 'lied at the lower end' (should be 'lay at the lower end'). There is also some repetition of basic verbs like 'lived' and 'increases'. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise reporting verbs and nouns related to statistical trends would improve your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of your writing. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('Philippines and Malaysia stands', 'the number will goes') and tense inconsistencies ('the predictions... is also made'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with apostrophes in possessives (e.g., 'research's estimates' instead of 'research estimates'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and verb tense consistency.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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