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 chart illustrate the proportion of the public in different Asian countries lived in urban areas along with future projections.
Overall, the chart shows a upward trend in all time periods. However, the Malaysia will be at top with around 82% urban population. While the Thailand is estimated to remain at bottom in future.
Initially, the Phillipines recorded a steady climb in all time intervals apart of the Philippines. It started off with 30% and untill 2020 around 75% of population is living in cities and it will rise at almost 82% in 2040. On the other hand, in 1970 the least number of public was living in Indonesia around 12% but in future it will be at second number and approximately 60% individuals will live in cities.
Furthermore, the city population of Philippines increased from 30% to around 50% but in 2010 it decreased amost 8 percent. it is projected that around 55% population of philippines will live in cities in 2040. Addittionaly, the urban population of the Thiland also increased from 18% to 50% and also estimeted to reach at
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5
The response attempts to address all parts of the task by outlining general trends and specific data points for the four countries. However, the student's execution contains significant factual inaccuracies and confusion regarding the data. For instance, the text states that 'the Phillipines recorded a steady climb... started off with 30% and untill 2020 around 75% of population is living in cities', which drastically misrepresents the provided chart where Malaysia reaches around 76% in 2020 and the Philippines remains below 50%. Additionally, the response cuts off abruptly at the end, leaving sentences incomplete. These errors in reporting and the incomplete conclusion prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5
The essay attempts an overall structure with an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. However, the logical progression is severely disrupted by confusing attribution of data between countries—such as mixing up Malaysia and the Philippines in the third paragraph. Furthermore, cohesive devices are used clumsily or mechanically (e.g., 'Addittionaly', 'Furthermore'), and referencing is frequently unclear. The paragraphing breaks down towards the end, and the abrupt termination of the text means there is no proper concluding summary. Overall organization is lacking.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive ('proportion of the public', 'number of public', 'urban population'). There are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'at top', 'at bottom', and 'at second number'. Spelling errors are also present, including 'Addittionaly' and 'Thiland'. While the writer attempts some less common vocabulary related to the topic, the frequency of inaccuracies and the misuse of lexical items limit the score to this band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The text displays a mix of simple and attempted complex structures, but grammatical accuracy is low. There are frequent errors in verb tense and agreement, such as 'The chart illustrate' (instead of illustrates), 'lived' (instead of living), and 'the Malaysia will be' (incorrect article usage). Punctuation and sentence boundaries are also problematic, as seen in the incomplete sentence structure at the very end of the response ('also estimeted to reach at...'). These persistent errors occasionally impede understanding.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.