Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-14

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 tracksthe percentage of population in four different asian countries which area Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia from 1970 to 2020 while also predicting the population in upcoming years.

The line graph clealry illsutrates that the population has significantly increased in all countries through 1970 to 2020 while some countries slowed down later on. Malaysia and Indonesia population rose steadily from 1970 to 2020. Malaysia's popilation surged from 30% to almost 80% while indonesia's population increases from 10% to 50% in all those years.

On the other hand Philippines population started steadily but had a boos in 1990 from 30% to almost 50% after that the population started declining in 2000's. Thailand's population rose from 18% to 30%. it hasnt been increased since then.

The predictiors predicted that the population in all four countries will keep on rising in the upcoming years 2030 and 2040. Indonesia will have a major rise in population and [hilippines and Malaysia will have a steady growth.

Overall, Malaysia and Indonesia's population saw a major growth the other two countries were steady throughout.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the urban population percentages in the four countries from 1970 to 2020, along with the predictions for 2030 and 2040. The student correctly identifies overall trends, such as the significant increases in Malaysia and Indonesia, and makes relevant comparisons between the countries. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting specific data points (e.g., stating Thailand rose to 30% and then stayed flat, whereas the prompt data typically shows ongoing trends, and minor inaccuracies regarding the Philippines' figures). Ideas are generally relevant, but the support and extension are slightly underdeveloped, placing this performance at a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the information into an introduction, body paragraphs focusing on specific timeframes and countries, and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used, though paragraph breaks can sometimes feel a bit abrupt. Cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'On the other hand', 'Overall'), but referencing and linking are occasionally faulty or mechanical, such as the sudden shift into predictions. Logical progression is present, but the transitions between ideas could be smoother to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common and topic-specific vocabulary such as 'percentage', 'significantly increased', 'steadily', 'surged', and 'declining'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, such as 'tracksthe', 'clealry', 'illsutrates', 'popilation', 'boos', and 'predictiors'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they reflect the limitations of Band 6, where spelling slips and imprecise word choices prevent access to higher descriptor bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The line graph tracks the percentage... while also predicting...' and 'Indonesia will have a major rise in population...'. However, there are several grammatical and punctuation errors, including missing capitalization (e.g., 'asian', 'philippines', 'indonesia'), run-on sentence structures lacking proper punctuation (e.g., 'Thailand's population rose from 18% to 30%. it hasnt been increased since then.'), and missing apostrophes ('hasnt'). These errors occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching Band 7, but they rarely impede overall communication, fitting the Band 6 profile well.

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

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