Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
The line graph illutrates the percentage of the people from four Asian countries that lived in cities from 1970 to 2020, while also providing predictions for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, the number has increased, with Malaysia topping th chart. In contrast, Thailand bottoms the chart.
From 1970 to 2000, all the countries experienced an overall increase, while Malaysia's numbers rose significantly from 30% to 60%. On the other hand, Indonesia and Philippines experienced a considerable rise while Thailand had the least impact.
From 2000 to 2020, Malaysia and Indonesia had a notable growth, with Malaysia topping the chart. In comparison, Thailand and Philippines had a very gradual rise and Thailand remained the last in growth. By 2040, it is predicted that Malaysia will have the highest impaact at almost 90% while Thailand will be the least affected at about 45%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to summarise the main features of the line graph, noting general trends and making some comparisons between countries, such as mentioning that Malaysia topped the chart. However, the response has a significant shortcoming: it fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, standing at 140 words. Furthermore, some data points and trends are described very broadly or inaccurately, such as stating that Thailand 'bottoms the chart' throughout without acknowledging Indonesia's starting point, and using vague phrasing like 'highest impact' instead of referring to the percentage of urban population. Because of the under-length penalty and the lack of precise data integration, the task achievement is limited.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is organised into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then breaking down the periods from 1970 to 2000 and 2000 to 2040. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'From 1970 to 2000', and 'On the other hand' are employed to guide the reader through the data. However, paragraphing is somewhat fragmented, with the overview split into very short, isolated sentences. Referencing and progression are generally clear, though the overall flow suffers slightly due to the brevity of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common collocations and vocabulary items such as 'predictions', 'considerable rise', and 'gradual rise'. There are a few spelling and lexical errors, notably 'illutrates' instead of 'illustrates' and using words like 'impact' or 'affected' in contexts where 'urbanisation rate' or 'percentage' would be much more precise. Despite these limitations, the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the main ideas of the graph, though it lacks the precision and flexibility expected at higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including time clauses ('From 1970 to 2000, all the countries experienced...') and future predictions ('it is predicted that Malaysia will have...'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'the percentage of the people' instead of 'the percentage of people', and referring to countries having an 'impact' or being 'affected' rather than describing population percentages. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are present, they do not severely impede overall communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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