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 provides data on the proportions of urban areas' citizens in different countries between 1970 and 2020, with a prediction for the following couple of decades.

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

In 1970, the Philippines seemed to account for the most significant percentage, with just over 30%, compared to 30% for Malaysia. In contrast, just below 20% of Thai people lived in cities and about 15% of Indonesians lived in urban areas.

Malaysia and Indonesia increased at the same high rate, reaching about 70% and about 50%, respectively, in 2020. Similarly, the proportion of urban citizens in Thailand went up to about 30% in 1990 before remaining stable for three decades until 2020. However, the percentage for the 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 rates reaching 80%, 60%, 50% and about 45% in 2040 for Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, selecting and reporting main features and making relevant comparisons across the four countries. An overview is provided, noting the overall upward trends and Malaysia's position at the top. Key data points are generally accurate, such as mentioning Malaysia and Indonesia reaching about 70% and 50% in 2020. However, there are a few minor inaccuracies regarding the starting points and historical data; for example, the student states that in 1970 the Philippines had just over 30% while Malaysia had 30%, whereas the chart shows Malaysia at 30% and the Philippines slightly higher at 32%. Despite these minor discrepancies, the response successfully fulfills the requirements of Task Achievement, earning a solid band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paraphrase, moves into an overview paragraph, details the historical data and trends in the middle body paragraphs, and concludes with the future predictions. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader through the data, such as 'In contrast,' 'Similarly,' and 'However.' Paragraphing is logical and separates distinct chronological periods and thematic points appropriately. Referencing is mostly clear, though occasional minor cohesion faults appear in sentence linkage, the overall structure remains clear and easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response. Phrases like 'upward trend,' 'proportions of urban areas' citizens,' 'remaining stable,' and 'dropped steadily' show a reasonable command of topic-specific and functional language. Less common lexical items are attempted, such as 'fluctuation' and 'proportions.' However, there are some minor awkward collocations or word choices, such as 'proportions of urban areas' citizens,' which slightly detract from precision. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate and do not impede communication at all.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses, participial phrases, and predictive structures like 'It is predicted that all these proportions will climb.' There is a good variety of grammatical structures deployed across the text. Grammatical accuracy is generally high, with frequent error-free sentences. Minor slips occur, such as slight preposition or article inconsistencies, but these do not impede communication or obscure the meaning of the data. Control of tense and time markers (past data, present state, and future predictions) is handled competently.

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