Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-19

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 6.5)

The line graph illustrates the percentage of the population living in cities in four Asian countries, namely the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, from 1970 to 2020, with predictions for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, it can be seen that the proportion of people living in cities increased in all four countries, although the Philippines experienced some fluctuations. The Philippines had the highest proportion at the beginning of the period, while Malaysia is predicted to become the country with the highest percentage by 2040. Indonesia also experienced significant growth and is expected to have the second-highest proportion at the end of the period.

In 1970, the Philippines had the highest percentage, at 31%. This figure increased slightly by 3 percentage points before rising more significantly after 1980, reaching 50%. However, it then declined to around 40% in 2010 before increasing again towards the end of the period, reaching approximately 50% in 2040.

Malaysia had the second-highest proportion in 1970, at around 30%. However, its figure increased considerably over the following years and is predicted to reach approximately 85% by 2040, making it the highest among the four countries.

Meanwhile, Thailand and Indonesia had relatively low proportions at the beginning of the period. Indonesia experienced substantial growth, rising to around 60% and becoming the second-highest country by the end of the period. In comparison, Thailand increased more gradually and is predicted to reach approximately 47% in 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student provides a clear overview of the main trends shown in the graph, noting the general upward trajectory of urbanisation across all four countries and highlighting key ranking shifts, such as Malaysia becoming the highest by 2040. The data is largely reported accurately, for instance noting Malaysia's increase to 'approximately 85% by 2040' and Indonesia's growth to 'around 60%'. However, there are a few minor inaccuracies with specific historical data points; for example, the Philippines in 1970 was actually 32%, but the student states 31%, and the peak in 1990 was 48%, whereas the student states it reached 50%. Despite these minor discrepancies, all parts of the prompt are addressed well, and main features are effectively selected and compared.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised into five paragraphs, featuring a clear introduction, an overall summary paragraph, and separate body paragraphs dedicated to individual countries or groupings. Cohesive devices are used appropriately to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Overall, it can be seen that', 'However', and 'Meanwhile'. Progression is clear throughout, with logical grouping of the countries based on their starting points and future trajectories. Paragraphing is handled well, ensuring that distinct aspects of the chart are addressed in isolation.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response, successfully employing terms such as 'proportion', 'fluctuations', 'considerable', 'substantial growth', and 'gradually'. There is good control of phrasing related to trends and predictions, such as 'is predicted to reach' and 'experiencing significant growth'. While the vocabulary is adequate and allows for some precision, it occasionally relies on standard, repetitive descriptive language ('highest percentage', 'increased considerably') rather than more sophisticated, nuanced lexical choices, placing it firmly in the Band 7 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses ('namely the Philippines...'), conditional predictions ('is predicted to reach...'), and participial phrases. Grammatical control is generally strong, with a high frequency of error-free sentences. Tense usage is handled well to distinguish past data from future projections (e.g., 'had the highest percentage' versus 'is predicted to become'). Minor slips occur occasionally, but punctuation and sentence boundaries are well managed throughout the text.

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