Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-11
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 provided chart illustrates the information about the proportion of the people living in cities in four Asian countries from 1970 to 2020, along with the projection for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, it is evident that the percentage of people living in urban areas in all four countries are significantly increasing over the period, along with the forecasted years. Interestingly, the residents of Indonesia rose gradually by overtaking the ratio of inhabitants of Philippines and Thailand.
Looking first at the percentage of the population in Malaysia, it started at 30% in 1970 before increasing sharply to above 80% in 2040, making it the highest figure over the period. Additionally, the proportion of the residents of the Philippines living in urban areas remained the lowest in 1970, however it rose gradually, overtaking the inhabitants of Thailand in 2000, along with Philippines in 2010, reaching approximately 60% by 2040.
Turning to the Philippines, it stood at over 30% in the initial year, before fluctuating to 40% in 2010. Afterwards, it increased slightly, reaching over 50% in 2040. Similarly, nearly 20% of inhabitants of Thailand used to live in cities in 1970. However, the figure climbed steadily, reaching around 40%, while making it the lowest.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response provides a clear overview and identifies key trends. However, there are significant inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you mention the Philippines twice in the third paragraph with contradictory information, and the description of the trends for Thailand and the Philippines is confusing and factually inconsistent with the provided graph. While you attempt to make comparisons, the misinterpretation of the data points hinders the clarity of the report. To improve, ensure that you carefully cross-reference your descriptions with the specific years and percentages shown in the graph to avoid contradictory statements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Looking first at', 'Additionally', and 'Turning to' are used to guide the reader. However, the internal cohesion within the third and fourth paragraphs is weakened by the confusing data reporting mentioned above. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when discussing the Philippines, which makes it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of the data. Improving the precision of your references will help the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'projection', 'fluctuating', and 'inhabitants'. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'the residents of Indonesia rose gradually', where it is the percentage of the population that rose, not the residents themselves. You also use 'making it the lowest' in a way that is slightly repetitive and imprecise. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing when describing trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the percentage of people... are significantly increasing') and awkward phrasing ('along with the forecasted years'). Punctuation is generally functional, but some sentences are slightly clunky due to the misuse of conjunctions. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency of the text. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining complex sentence structures will improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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