Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-22

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 4.0)

This line chart illustrates percentage of the population in Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia.

In, the X axis this show year and in the Y axis it shows perchentage of population.

At first, Philippines was 30 % of population in 1970 ,for upcomming year it remain constante but in1990 it grow and reached at 40 % and kept growing by 2040 it will at 50%

Malaysia has 30 % of the poputation in 1970 it kept increasing in year by year and by 2040 it will increasing and reached at 70%.

Thailand has less popullation in 1970 but by time it also reached a 20 % in 2020 .

Indonesia has less on all of this

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word length requirement of 150 words, coming in at 115 words. Furthermore, the content fails to properly summarize the main features and make relevant comparisons. The description of individual countries is extremely brief and inaccurate in places (e.g., stating Malaysia reached 70% by 2040 when the data shows 83.5%, and making vague statements like 'Indonesia has less on all of this'). There is no clear overview provided. Because of the under-length penalty and the lack of proper data reporting and comparisons, the task achievement is very limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response is organized into very short, single-sentence paragraphs which fail to create a cohesive or logical structure. There is a lack of overall progression. Cohesive devices are almost entirely absent, with awkward transitions such as 'At first' used incorrectly to introduce data from 1970, and mechanical phrasing throughout. Referencing is weak, and the lack of a structured overview or grouped body paragraphs severely limits the coherence of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The lexical range is extremely basic and repetitive. The student relies heavily on simple terms like 'popullation', 'grow', 'kept increasing', and 'less'. There are noticeable spelling errors ('upcomming', 'constante', 'perchentage', 'popullation') and word choice inaccuracies (e.g., 'Indonesia has less on all of this'). The vocabulary is barely adequate to communicate the basic topic, but the frequent errors and limited range restrict the score to a band 4.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The grammatical range is severely limited, consisting mainly of simple sentences and failed attempts at complex or compound structures. There are frequent errors in tense usage ('it will increasing', 'for upcomming year it remain constante'), prepositional errors ('In, the X axis this show year'), and missing verbs or subject-verb agreement issues. Punctuation is also erratic with unnecessary spaces and comma splices. These errors frequently cause strain for the reader.

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

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