Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-21

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 4.5)

The graph shows the percentage of the population in four Asian counties living in cities from 1970 to 2020.

Overall, In all fore cities population increase as years passes. Malaysia had rapid population growth.

In 1970, Malaysia had 30 % people in city. After 20 years population was 40%. After 1990 population increase rapidly .By 2010 almost population reached 70%.In addition population will may 80% in 2040.Futhermore Philippines had almost same number of population as Malaysia in 1970 and it remain same for next 10 years. After 1980 population was almost 50%. By 2010 population decrease and fall to 40%.after population increase slowly and predict that by 2040 population will cross 50%.

Thailand population was just 20% in year 1970.after that population was increase. In 1990 population was almost 25%.After that population remain same by year 2010. Moreover it predict that population will cross 40% in year 2040.Lastly Indonesia had just more than 10% population in 1970.after 20 years population was 20% and remain same for next 30 years. In addition Indonesia population may will be 40% by year 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to cover the main trends for all four countries shown in the graph. However, there are significant inaccuracies in reporting the data (for example, stating that in 2010 for Malaysia 'almost population reached 70%', whereas the figure is 71%, or misstating the trends for the Philippines). Furthermore, the overview provided in the second paragraph ('population increase as years passes') is extremely simplistic and does not capture the overall comparison required by the task. The predictions for 2040 are also vaguely or incorrectly handled in places. This corresponds to Band 5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is divided into paragraphs, which is a positive feature, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs for the countries. However, logical progression is frequently disrupted by poor cohesion and missing transitional phrases. Sentences are often disjointed, and referencing is weak (e.g., jumping between subjects with minimal connection like 'Futhermore Philippines had almost same number...'). Paragraphing is also erratic, with the overview crammed into a single short sentence alongside a basic opening. These features place the response firmly at Band 5.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is very basic, repetitive, and restricted to simple terms like 'population', 'increase', 'decrease', and 'number'. There are persistent spelling and word-form errors, such as 'counties' instead of 'countries', 'fore' instead of 'four', 'Futhermore', and awkward collocations like 'population was almost 50%'. The lack of flexibility or precision in lexical choice prevents the score from rising above Band 4.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. There is an over-reliance on simple structures, and attempts at more complex constructions (such as predictions) result in frequent errors, such as 'population will may 80%' and 'it predict that population will cross'. Articles are frequently omitted ('in city', 'Thailand population was just 20%'), and tense control is inconsistent when mixing past data with future predictions. These persistent, basic errors cause difficulty for the reader and reflect Band 4 descriptor standards.

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

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