Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-17
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 line graph shows the changes in the urban population of four asian countries: Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and indonesia from 1970 to 2040.
Overall, all four counteries have shown increase in the urban population over time. Malaysia was the first-runner whereas, Indonesia showed the most substantial growth rate.
In 1970, Malaysia started with 30% of it's population living in urban residence and showed a steady growth as the percentage reached about 80% in 2040.
Philippines started with almost same percentage as Malaysia in 1970. Despite various fluctuations over time they attained about 52% population in urban areas by 2040.
In 1970, Thailand started with 18% urban population and showed continous growth as the urban population reached 45% in 2040.
Indonesia had just 13% urban population in 1970 but there was significant growth after as the population in urban areas reached 57% in 2040.
In conclusion, all countries showed increase in urban population over time but each had its own pattren.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all parts of the task by reporting data for all four countries over the given time period, and provides a basic overview stating that all countries showed an increase. However, some of the figures reported contain inaccuracies when compared to the visual data (for example, Malaysia reached 83.5% by 2040 rather than 80%, and Indonesia reached 64% rather than 57%). Additionally, the overview is rather simplistic ('Malaysia was the first-runner whereas, Indonesia showed the most substantial growth rate'). The response addresses the main features and makes some comparisons, but the precision of data extraction and overall development place it at Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, individual country details in separate sentences/paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. Cohesion is attempted using basic transition signals such as 'In 1970', 'Despite various fluctuations', and 'In conclusion'. However, some cohesive devices feel mechanical or slightly awkward (e.g., 'Malaysia was the first-runner whereas...'). Referencing is mostly clear, but the logical progression between sentences is occasionally disjointed, supporting a Band 6.0 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with appropriate topic-specific terms like 'urban population', 'growth rate', and 'fluctuations'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, but there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'counteries' instead of 'countries', 'first-runner', 'it's' instead of 'its', and 'pattren' instead of 'pattern'. These errors do not impede communication but restrict the lexical score to Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Despite various fluctuations over time they attained about 52% population in urban areas by 2040.' There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, including missing commas, capitalization errors (e.g., 'asian', 'indonesia'), and subject-verb/preposition slips (e.g., 'urban residence' instead of 'urban areas', 'growth after'). Although these errors rarely impede communication, they prevent the grammar score from reaching Band 7.0, making Band 6.0 appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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