Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
This 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.
Overall, the percentage of people living in cities increased in all four countries. This growth is expected to continue in the future. Maalaysia had the highest percentag, while Thailand had the lowest for most of the period. In 1970, about 32% of people in phillippines lived in cities. this number increased tp around 48% in 1990. buut then went down slightly. In 2020, it was about 45%, and it is expected to reach around 56% in 2040. Malaysia showeds a steady increase. Its figure rose from about 30% in 1970 to 75% in 2020. It is predicted to reach about 83% in 2040.
Thailand increased more slowly, from about 18% in 1970 to 33% in 2020. It is expected to reach 50% in 2040. Indonesia had the lowest figure in 1970, at about 13%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all four countries and gives a clear overview that the percentage of urban population increased across the board. Key features and trends are reported, such as Malaysia having the highest figures and rapid growth, alongside specific data points like Malaysia rising from 30% in 1970 to 75% in 2020. However, the response stops rather abruptly at the end of the body paragraph and misses a complete summary of Indonesia's final predicted values for 2040. This constitutes a minor omission of some parts of the task, placing the response solidly in Band 6.5 or 6.0. Because the main features are highlighted and data comparisons are made, it satisfies the criteria for Band 6 well.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into a brief introduction, an overall statement, and a main body paragraph. However, the paragraphing is underdeveloped; all the detailed country data is crammed into a single long and messy block of text rather than being logically split by country or time period. Cohesive devices are minimal, and referencing is sometimes weak, such as jumping abruptly between the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand without clear transitional phrases. Despite these organizational flaws, the overall progression is generally clear, and the reader can follow the sequence of ideas without severe disruption, justifying a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms like 'percentage', 'prediction', 'steady increase', and 'reach around'. There are several spelling and word-form errors, such as 'Maalaysia', 'percentag', 'phillippines', and 'showeds', as well as typographical issues like double spaces. While these do not impede communication, they reflect a lack of careful proofreading. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary ('steady increase', 'predicted to reach'), but frequent basic spelling slips prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 7.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating past tense for historical data ('lived in', 'went down') and future modals for predictions ('is expected to reach', 'is predicted to'). There are several grammatical and punctuation errors, including capitalization mistakes ('phillippines'), run-on phrasing ('This number increased tp around 48% in 1990. buut then went down slightly.'), and minor typos ('tp', 'buut'). However, the majority of simple sentences are accurate, and complex structures do not impede comprehension, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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