Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-18

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 4.5)

The line graph illustrates information about the proportion of four Asian countries population living in urban cities naming, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia between 1970 to 2020, with predictions for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, it is evident that Malaysia has the highest percentage, whereas the Philipine proportion was lowest, while Thailand continually increased but indonesia gradually reached.

It can be clearly seen that the percentage of Malaysia population was highly increased than other three countries in 1970 the percentage was 30%, while it will be reached in 50% by 2040. Meanwhile, the Philipione proportion was 31% in 1970 and approximatly fluctued in 1980 and again increased gradually in 2030

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The student attempts to address the task by reporting information from the line graph regarding four Asian countries from 1970 to 2040. However, the response is severely under-length at only 109 words, falling well short of the 150-word minimum requirement. Furthermore, the content suffers from major inaccuracies in data reporting; for example, the student claims Malaysia's 1970 percentage was 30% and 'will be reached in 50% by 2040' (whereas the graph shows Malaysia starts at 30% and reaches 83.5% in 2040). The overview attempts to capture main trends, but the lack of sufficient length, combined with flawed data interpretation and an unfinished response, restricts the score to Band 4.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response is divided into three very short paragraphs, including a single-sentence introduction and a fragmented body. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes awkward, such as 'whereas the Philipine proportion was lowest, while Thailand continually increased but indonesia gradually reached.' The logical progression breaks down quickly due to incomplete thoughts and abrupt shifts between data points. Paragraphing is present in a rudimentary sense, but the lack of adequate development and cohesive control results in a disjointed structure that warrants a Band 4.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, featuring phrases like 'percentage of the population living in cities' lifted from the prompt. There are noticeable word choice and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'Philipine', 'approximatly', 'fluctued', and 'indonesia' (uncapitalised). Attempts at less common vocabulary are generally inaccurate or misused, as seen in 'Malaysia population was highly increased than other three countries'. Because the lexical range is narrow and errors occasionally impede smooth reading, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The text contains a very limited range of grammatical structures, and the complex sentence attempts are frequently faulty or incomplete, such as 'while it will be reached in 50% by 2040.' There are frequent errors in tense usage, passive/active voice, prepositions, and punctuation. For instance, 'between 1970 to 2020' should be 'between 1970 and 2020', and commas are missing or misused. These persistent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect Band 4.5 performance descriptors.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.