Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-06

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 line graph illustrates the percentage of the population residing in urban areas across four Asian countries from 1970 to 2020 and also predict for the year 2030 and 2040.

Overall, all four nations exhibits an upward trends . Malaysia is accounted to maintain highest population in urban areas by the end of period, while Indonesia shows the most rapid and dramatic growth overall.

In 1970, Phillipines had the highest proportion of city dwellers which was about 32%, just above Malaysia at 30%. In 1990 both had similar population, however Malaysia's population grew sharply and continuously. In contrast, Philippines had fluctuating pattern, its figure peaked at 50% in the year 1990 and drop by 10% in 2010 and recovered to 50% by 2020. Malaysia expected to reach a peak of 83%, whereas Philippines expected to reach at 60%.

Thailand and Indonesia started with the lowest urban percentage in 1970 with 18 and13% respectively. Thailand followed a modest and steady growth reaching around 35% in 2020 with a predicted rise to 50 % by 2040. Conversely, Indonesia experienced an explosive surge after 1990.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task, providing a clear overview and selecting key features for comparison. You successfully identified the main trends, such as Malaysia's growth and Indonesia's rapid surge. However, the analysis is slightly uneven; while you mention the Philippines' fluctuations, the description of the data points could be more precise. For instance, stating that Malaysia is 'accounted to maintain' the highest population is slightly vague. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are described with greater accuracy and that the comparison between the four countries is more consistently integrated throughout the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Conversely', and 'However' to link ideas effectively. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by minor mechanical errors in referencing and sentence structure, such as the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group the countries, which helps the reader follow the progression of the data. To improve, focus on ensuring that the transition between sentences is smoother and that the logical progression of ideas is not interrupted by minor grammatical slips.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'residing', 'urban areas', 'fluctuating pattern', and 'explosive surge'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'Malaysia is accounted to maintain' (should be 'is expected to have') and 'exhibits an upward trends' (should be 'upward trend'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that pluralization and verb forms are consistent with the intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you successfully use complex sentences, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'all four nations exhibits' (subject-verb agreement), 'predict for the year' (should be 'predictions for'), and 'Malaysia expected to reach' (missing auxiliary verb). Punctuation is generally clear, but there are minor issues with spacing and capitalization. The majority of your sentences are understandable, but the frequency of these small errors limits the score. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that passive voice constructions are formed correctly.

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

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