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 illustrates the percentage of people living in countries from four different cities over an 50 year of period from 1970 to 2020 also predicting for year 2030 and 2040.

overall Population Of Malaysia and Indonesia has singnificantly rose over the period, showing that most of the people will be living here in future as well,whereas in Thailand and Philiphines we can see that gradually the percentage of people living there increased gradually then was unstable over the period of year .

In 1970 there were only 30% of people were living in Malaysia then over the next years it rose rapidly and increased to 70% in 2020 and till 2040 it would be 80% .Meanwhile In philipiness it experienced fast growth starting from 30 % to 1990 tilll 1999 but then population decreased rapidly and will be 50% in 2040, IN THailand we can that it started from 20% onluy and then for three years it remained stable and then from 2020 to 2040 it will be increased by 45%.in indonesia at starting there were only 10% people living there after some time population increased rapily and it would be 55 % till 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to cover the main trends in the graph, mentioning countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, and tracking changes over the specified time period. However, there are significant inaccuracies in reporting specific data points (for example, stating that Malaysia started at 30% in 1970 and would reach 80% by 2040, which is relatively close, but describing Indonesia starting at 10% and reaching 55% with various inaccuracies elsewhere). The overview paragraph is weak, containing awkward phrasing and vague generalizations. Furthermore, the task instructions note that the data represents countries in Asia, whereas the student writes that the graph illustrates 'countries from four different cities'. Because of these inaccuracies and the somewhat confused overview, the response earns a band score of 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is divided into three paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph. However, the paragraphing is poorly handled, as all the detailed body data is crammed into one massive, run-on paragraph without clear structural separation. Cohesive devices are minimal and mechanical, relying heavily on words like 'then', 'Meanwhile', and 'and'. The progression of ideas is difficult to follow because sentences are awkwardly linked and lack clear logical sequencing. For instance, sentences like 'In 1970 there were only 30% of people were living in Malaysia then over the next years...' demonstrate a lack of control over referencing and punctuation. Overall cohesion is faulty, corresponding to a band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student displays a limited and repetitive lexical range, suitable for basic communication but lacking the precision required for Academic Task 1. There are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'singnificantly rose', 'Philiphines', 'philipiness', and 'THailand'. The phrase 'countries from four different cities' is an unnatural inversion of the prompt's focus on cities in four countries. Words are frequently repeated without effective synonym use ('increased gradually then was unstable', 'increased rapidly'). These noticeable errors and limited vocabulary warrant a band score of 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentences, but grammatical control is weak. There are frequent errors in tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and clause structuring, such as 'there were only 30% of people were living' and 'it started from 20% onluy and then for three years it remained stable and then from 2020 to 2040 it will be increased'. Punctuation is also problematic, with missing periods and commas used incorrectly, creating long, breathless run-on sentences. These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a band 5.0 level of grammatical accuracy.

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