Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
The line graph illustrates the percentage of people residenting in cities of four Asian countries-Philippioes, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia- between 1970 and 2020 along with the future predictions for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, the highest percentage of population was living in Philippines whereas the lowest in Indonesia in 1970 which then changed and Malaysia became the city with maximum percentage of people while, Thailand having the minimum population. Furthermore, the population in all four cities increased over the period and has been predicted to rise further in coming years.
About 14 percentage of total population lived in Indonesia in 1970, which climbed substantially to approximately 50 percentage in 2020 and predicted to reach about 60 by 2040. Likewise, the people staying in Malaysia accounted 30% in 1970 is estimated to rise gradually to about 85% by 2040.
Moreover, The population percentage in Philippines remained almost same at about 32% from 1970 to 1980 which then increased to approximately 50% in 1990 and after dropping down to 40% in 2010 it will go up to about 52% by 2040. Similarly, the total percentage of resident living in Thailand was at about 18% in 1970 and after steadily increasing to about 30% in 1990 it remained stable till 2020, subsequently rising to about 50% by 2040.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student covers all four countries and reports key trends from 1970 to 2040, providing an adequate overview. However, there are several inaccurate data points and misinterpretations of the graph. For instance, the student states that the highest percentage of the population lived in the Philippines and the lowest in Indonesia in 1970, which is accurate. However, the claim that Malaysia became the city with the maximum percentage of people by the end while Thailand had the minimum is incorrect, as Malaysia peaks at over 80% while others have different final values, and the label 'countries' is confused with 'cities'. Additionally, specific figures contain errors, such as Indonesia climbing to 'approximately 50 percentage in 2020' (it is actually around 52%) and Malaysia's 1970 figure being 30% rather than 30% stated alongside other slight misreadings. Because of these inaccuracies in reporting key data, the task achievement is limited.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is structured into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific data trends. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Furthermore', 'Moreover', and 'Similarly' are used to connect ideas. However, paragraphing and logical progression are occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when referring to countries as 'cities' ('Malaysia became the city with maximum percentage'). While an overall logical arrangement is maintained, the organizational flaws and mechanical cohesion keep this criterion at a moderate level.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student attempts a range of vocabulary appropriate for Task 1, including terms like 'substantially', 'gradually', 'fluctuated', and 'predictions'. However, there are noticeable lexical and collocation errors throughout the text. Most prominently, the student repeatedly refers to countries as 'cities' ('percentage of people residenting in cities of four Asian countries', 'Malaysia became the city with maximum percentage'). There are also spelling and word formation errors, such as 'Philippioes' instead of Philippines, and 'residenting' instead of residing. These inaccuracies occasionally cause strain for the reader, limiting the score to a band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'along with the future predictions for 2030 and 2040', 'after dropping down to 40% in 2010'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb forms and prepositions, such as 'people residenting in' (residing in), 'population was living in Philippines' (missing article), 'is predicted to reach' combined incorrectly with previous clauses, and 'accounted 30%' instead of 'accounted for 30%'. While meaning is generally conveyed, these persistent errors prevent the grammar score from reaching a higher band.
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.