Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-15
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 5.0)
The graph illustrates the comparison among population of four countries whose citizens are living in cities from year 1970 to 2020, with prediction in percentage of population for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, it is crystal clear that due to development there is rise in all countries percentage of the population who are living in cities. In the Malaysia there were more upward trend in percentage of population and in predicted years they will lead with the highest percentage compared to other.
From the year 1970 to 1980, Philippines showed a little increase in percentage as it increased by only 1 percentage whereas all other countries showed much more rise in percentage, Thailand increased to 22 percentage from 19 percentage, Indonesia from 12 % to 15% , Malaysia from 30% to 40%. From year 1980 to 2000 Malaysia showed the highest rise in percentage of living citizens in cities from 40% to 60%
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the prompt by summarising information from the graph regarding the percentage of the urban population in four Asian countries. However, the response is notably incomplete and trails off abruptly in the second body paragraph, leaving out significant data points and trends for 2010, 2020, 2030, and 2040 for most countries. While an overview is attempted ('there is rise in all countries percentage'), it is poorly developed. Furthermore, there are some inaccuracies in reading the data, such as stating Thailand increased to 22 percentage from 19 when the chart shows it went from 18 to 23.5. Because the response is under-developed and abruptly ends, it only partially satisfies the task requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay displays a basic attempt at overall organisation with an introductory sentence and an overview. However, cohesion is frequently faulty and mechanical. The student uses repetitive transitional phrases like 'From the year 1970 to 1980' and 'From year 1980 to 2000'. Paragraphing is disrupted because the essay appears to be unfinished, cutting off mid-way through a sentence ('from 40% to 60%'). Progression is hindered by a lack of clear referencing and logical links between the limited ideas presented, resulting in a disjointed flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate to convey basic trends, employing terms such as 'percentage', 'prediction', 'rise', and 'upward trend'. However, the range is limited and repetitive. There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'comparison among population of four countries whose citizens are living in cities' instead of 'urban population percentages', and 'living citizens in cities'. Some numbers are incorrectly transcribed into words or symbols. While communication is not entirely obscured, the frequent awkward phrasing restricts the lexical score to a band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('countries whose citizens are living in cities'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors including missing prepositions and articles (e.g., 'In the Malaysia', 'due to development there is rise in all countries percentage'), faulty comparative structures ('more upward trend'), and incorrect prepositions ('increased to 22 percentage from 19 percentage'). Punctuation is also sparse, and the incomplete final sentence further disrupts grammatical control. These recurring errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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