Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-20
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 line graph illustrates the proportion of urban citizens in Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia between 1970 and 2020, with the expected population in 2030 and 2040.
Overall, it can be easily seen that all four countries has a dramatic rise in population, starting at the lowest point in 1970 and being projected to reach the peak in 2040.
Malaysia and Indonesia saw a slightly rise in population, respectively from 30 to about 45 and around 12 to over 20 percent from 1970 to 1990. After that, both countries has climbed rapidly until now before being predicted to continue increasing for the next 20 years.
After almost remaining in the 70s, Philippines percentage increased dramatically to reach about 47 percent on 1990 and dropped to 40% in 2010. Then, this country faced slightly rise in 2020.
Meanwhile, Thailand reached approximate 30% in 1990 and saw not much changes until 2020. Both two countries are projected to increase in population in 2030 and 2040.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to address all parts of the task by reporting data for all four countries across the given time period. However, there are several inaccurate data points and misreadings of the graph. For example, the student states that Malaysia and Indonesia saw a rise from 30 to 45 and 12 to over 20 percent from 1970 to 1990, but Indonesia actually started at 14% and reached 25% in 1990, while Malaysia moved from 30% to 45.5%. Furthermore, the overview contains a factual error, claiming that all four countries started at the lowest point in 1970, which ignores the fluctuations seen in the Philippines. While the main features are touched upon, the lack of data precision and incorrect trends place this response at Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response has a basic structure with an introduction and body paragraphs attempting to group countries. However, the logical progression is hindered by poor transitions and awkward grouping. The division of paragraphs lacks a clear rationale, jumping between countries without establishing a cohesive narrative. Furthermore, cohesive devices are weak or misused, as seen with phrases like 'After almost remaining in the 70s' (which is confusing since the percentage was around 45%) and 'Both two countries'. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion within paragraphs is frequently faulty, resulting in a Band 5.0 performance.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic reporting, employing terms such as 'proportion', 'dramatic rise', and 'projected'. However, there are notable word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'urban citizens' instead of 'urban population' or 'urban residents', 'slightly rise' instead of 'slight rise', and 'saw not much changes'. Additionally, the student repeats basic descriptive verbs rather than utilizing a wider range of synonyms for upward and downward trends. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control is limited, justifying a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical accuracy is quite low due to frequent errors. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('all four countries has a dramatic rise', 'both countries has climbed'), incorrect verb forms ('faced slightly rise', 'saw not much changes'), and preposition errors ('in Philippines' instead of 'in the Philippines', 'on 1990' instead of 'in 1990'). These errors occur frequently throughout the text and occasionally impede smooth reading, though the meaning can generally be deciphered. This level aligns with Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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