Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-16
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 line graph illustrates the percentage of the population living in four Asian countries ; Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia from 1970 and 2020, with prediction for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, the proportion of people living in cities increased in all four countries. Malaysia had the highest amount of individual of the period, while Thailand had the lowest figure. The percentage will also expected to rise in 2040.
In 1970, around 30% population in the Malaysia and Philippines lived in cities, compared with about 18% in Thailand and 13% in Indonesia. The figure for the Philippines rose to approximately 48% in 1990.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5
The student attempts to summarize the main trends in the line graph, identifying overall increases in urbanization across all four countries and providing some initial figures from 1970. However, the response is incomplete, stopping abruptly in 1990 and failing to cover the remaining data up to 2040 or make the required comparisons for later years. Furthermore, the length requirement of at least 150 words is not met, as the response contains only 102 words. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, leading to a penalty under Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response attempts to use a standard structure, with an introductory sentence and an overview paragraph. However, the paragraphing is incomplete, and the essay breaks off mid-way through the body section. Cohesive devices are minimal, and referencing is sometimes weak, such as using 'amount of individual' instead of proportion or percentage. Due to the incomplete nature of the writing and lack of overall progression to the end of the data set, the organizational structure suffers.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive ('percentage', 'living in cities', 'rise'). There are also notable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'highest amount of individual' instead of highest proportion of the population, and punctuation errors around the semicolon in the introduction (countries ; Philippines). While the range is adequate for basic description, it lacks the precision and flexibility expected at higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'In 1970, around 30% population in the Malaysia and Philippines lived in cities, compared with about 18% in Thailand and 13% in Indonesia.' However, there are several grammatical inaccuracies, including missing articles ('around 30% population', 'in the Malaysia'), incorrect prepositional use ('from 1970 and 2020'), and errors with future predictions ('The percentage will also expected to rise'). Despite these errors, meaning is generally clear in the sentences produced.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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