Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
The graph illustrate the proportion of urban population in four countries. The Philippines ,Malaysia ,Thailand ,Indonesia across the period from 1970 to 2020 along the projection for 2030 to 2040. This report shows the main features.
Overall, the four nations have a continuous increase in urbanization over the period. Malaysia have a significant increase in population and Thailand have a little bit lower population than others.
In 1970 , Malaysia started with 30 percent of its populace in urban areas and continues their gains such as 90 percent at the end of the period. If we look at Thailand it had 20 percent at the beginning and surge to 50 percent of urban population in 2040.
Indonesia , start roughly about 13 percent in 1970 . has undergone a remarkable surge.it is projected to gain 60 % in the future.
The Philippines, commencing at a comparable level to Malaysia in 1970, it is forecast to attain around 55% urban population by 2040.
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 response attempts to address the task by reporting on the percentage of urban population in four Asian countries from 1970 to 2040. However, there are significant issues with data accuracy and completeness. For instance, the writer claims that Malaysia reaches '90 percent at the end of the period,' whereas the graph shows it reaching approximately 83.5 percent. Similarly, stating that Thailand had '20 percent at the beginning' is inaccurate, as the figure is around 18 percent. The overview is rather weak, failing to capture the overall trends concisely, and some data points are misread or generalized incorrectly. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs, but the organization and logical progression are weak. The introductory paragraph is fragmented ('The graph illustrate... The Philippines ,Malaysia ,Thailand ,Indonesia... This report shows the main features'). Cohesive devices are either missing or used awkwardly, such as repetitive transitions like 'If we look at Thailand'. Paragraphing is attempted, but body paragraphs lack clear internal cohesion, and the relationship between ideas is sometimes mechanical or disjointed, causing a lack of smooth progression throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The lexical resource is limited and basic. The student relies on repetitive vocabulary such as 'population', 'percent', and 'surge'. There are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'Malaysia have a significant increase in population' (referring to urbanization percentage, not total population) and 'Thailand have a little bit lower population than others'. Spelling and morphological slips are also present, such as 'illustrate' instead of 'illustrates'. While the vocabulary is adequate to convey a basic meaning, it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement and punctuation, such as 'Malaysia have', 'Indonesia , start roughly about 13 percent... has undergone a remarkable surge.it is projected', and awkward comma splices like 'The Philippines, commencing at a comparable level to Malaysia in 1970, it is forecast to attain...'. These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader and demonstrate a limited range of reliable complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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