Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The line graoh provides data on the proportions of urbain areas' citizens in different countries between 1970 and 2020 with a prediction of the future couple decades.

Overall, Malasya tends to account for the highest proportion of population living in cities. All four countries showed an upward trend over the period, despite the fluctuation in Philippines figure.

In 1970, philippines seem to account for the most significant percentage with just over 30%, compared to 30% for Malasya. In contrast, just below 20% of Thai people lived in cities and about 15% of indonesian lived in urbain areas.

Malasya and Indonesia increased at the same high rate reaching about respectively 70% and about 50% in 2020. Similarly, the proportion of urbain citizens in thailand went up to about 30% in 1990 before remaining stable for 3 decades until 2020. However the percentage philippines remained constant at about 30% before rising to just under 50% in 1990. that figure dropped steadily reaching about 42% in 2010 and went up to 45% in 2020.

It is predicted that all these proportions will climb with the same rate reachin 80%, 60%, 50% and about 45% in 2040 for respectively Malasya, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student provides an overview with main trends and attempts to report key features and comparisons. However, there are several inaccuracies in data reading and chronology. For instance, the text states that in 1970 the Philippines accounted for the most significant percentage with just over 30%, whereas the chart shows Malaysia at 30% and Philippines at 32%. Furthermore, the description of the Philippines' past trend contains factual errors regarding the 1970s and 1980s data points compared to the visual reference. Although all countries are mentioned and trends are identified, the imprecise reporting of data limits the effectiveness of the task response, aligning the performance with Band 5.5 to 6.0. I am awarding a 6.0 as the general picture and major trends are successfully communicated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is structured into distinct paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by an overview, body paragraphs addressing specific time periods, and a concluding prediction paragraph. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 1970', 'In contrast', 'Similarly', and 'However' are used to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is logical and appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response. While some of the referencing and transitions feel slightly mechanical (e.g., 'the percentage philippines'), the overall arrangement is coherent and easy to follow, supporting a Band 6.5 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'proportions', 'upward trend', 'fluctuation', and 'prediction'. However, there are persistent spelling errors ('graoh', 'urbain', 'Malasya', 'philippines', 'reachin') and word formation issues ('future couple decades' instead of 'future decades'). Word choice is occasionally imprecise, but meaning remains largely clear throughout the text. These lexical limitations and spelling slips place the performance firmly in the Band 6 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and time clauses (e.g., 'The line graph provides data on...'). There are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'reaching about respectively 70% and about 50%', 'the percentage philippines remained constant', and missing capitalization for proper nouns ('thailand', 'indonesian'). Punctuation and capitalization are inconsistent ('that figure dropped'). Despite these errors, communication is rarely impeded, and the sentence structures demonstrate a reasonable attempt at complexity, justifying a Band 6.0.

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

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