Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-13

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 tracks the percentage of population for four Asian countries (i.e. Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia) living in cities from 1970 to 2020, with predictions for 2030 and 2040.

In 1970's, only 30% of the total population of Malaysia were living in the cities, however population in cities started surging till it reached the hightest above 70% in 2020 and it is predicted to cross over 80% in 2040. Regarding Thailand, less than 20% of the residents were living in cities, but the numbers grew significantly upto 30% in 2020, and it is assumed to increase by 15% till 2040.

In contrast, Indonesai had around 12% citizen in cities, meanwhile population began to sky rocket in the up coming years and it is predicted that 60% citizens will move to cities. Moreover, Philippines's city population showed major flucations throughout the duration and the prediction is half of the total poopuation will shift to cities.

Overall, all four Asian countries had showed an incline of city's population till 2020 and it is predicted to rise till 2040, while the most significant growth is shown by Malaysia's and Indonesia's resident.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of urbanisation across four Asian countries from 1970 to 2040. An overview is provided in the final paragraph, and key comparisons are made between the countries, such as noting the highest urban population in Malaysia and significant growth in Indonesia. Data points are cited to support the descriptions, for instance, Malaysia starting at 30% in 1970 and reaching over 70% in 2020. However, some specific data details regarding the predictions for countries like the Philippines and Indonesia are somewhat generalised rather than precisely reported. Overall, the task response is well-developed and meets the requirements of the prompt appropriately.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response features a clear overall structure, beginning with an introductory paraphrase, followed by body paragraphs dedicated to different country comparisons, and ending with a summary overview. Information and ideas are logically sequenced, making the progression easy to follow. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, with transition markers such as 'In contrast', 'Regarding', and 'Moreover' helping to guide the reader through the comparisons. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate different groups of countries. Nevertheless, a few referencing ties are slightly mechanical, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band in this category, but overall cohesion is clear and logical.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully attempting less common lexical items such as 'surging', 'sky rocket', and 'fluctuations'. However, there are notable spelling and word-choice inaccuracies throughout the text, including '1970's' (unnecessary apostrophe), 'hightest' (highest), 'upto' (up to), 'Indonesai' (Indonesia), 'citizen' (citizens), and 'poopuation' (population). While these errors do not severely impede communication, they reflect limitations in precision and control. To achieve a higher band score, the student needs to improve spelling accuracy and employ collocation more consistently when discussing statistical trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and time-dependent conjunctions like 'while the most significant growth is shown by'. There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'percentage of population for four Asian countries... were living' (subject-verb agreement issue with 'percentage'), 'population in cities started surging till it reached' (awkward prepositional usage), and 'had showed an incline' (tense misuse; 'showed' or 'have shown'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while these errors do not obscure the overall meaning, their frequency prevents the attainment of a Band 7.

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

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