Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-25
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 the population living in cities in four Asian countries from 1970 to 2020, with predictions from 2030 to 2040.
Overall, the population of four countries are increased. Although the trends varied. Malaysia had highest figures for most of the period and is expected to remain the urbanished country. Indonesia had the second highest number of figures most of the time. Thailand is expected to remain the below to the other countries.
In 1970, around 30% of the population lived in Philippines and Malaysia, compared with approximately 18% in 3wThailand and 13% population in Indonesia. In 1990, Philippines had more population than Malaysia. Before that, Philippines population had fallen while in 2000 to 2040, Malaysia had the maximum number of increased in population.
In 1970, Thailand had 19% population while, on the other hand Thailand had 12% of population.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, coming in at 145 words, which impacts Task Achievement. While the student attempts an overview and mentions several countries, the data interpretation contains noticeable errors and confusion regarding the trends and figures. For instance, the statement 'Indonesia had the second highest number of figures most of the time' does not accurately reflect the graph where Indonesia starts lowest and rises to second by 2020. Furthermore, the final paragraph contains contradictory and confusing information ('Thailand had 19% population while, on the other hand Thailand had 12% of population'). The overview is overly simplistic, and key comparative features across the whole timeline are under-developed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is divided into short paragraphs, but the overall organization lacks logical progression and cohesion. The transition between sentences can be abrupt and confusing. For example, the sentence 'Before that, Philippines population had fallen while in 2000 to 2040, Malaysia had the maximum number of increased in population' awkwardly links unrelated trends. Referencing and cohesive devices are poorly handled, notably in the final paragraph which breaks down into disjointed and contradictory clauses ('Thailand had 19% population while, on the other hand Thailand had 12% of population'). Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow within paragraphs requires significant improvement.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The lexical range is limited and adequate only for basic communication. There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'urbanished country' instead of 'most urbanised country', 'highest number of figures', and 'maximum number of increased in population'. Furthermore, a typo appears in the body paragraph with '3wThailand'. While the student attempts some topic-related vocabulary like 'percentage', 'population', and 'predictions', the inaccuracies in word formation and phrasing restrict the lexical score to a band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response shows a limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple and flawed complex forms. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the population of four countries are increased') and incorrect preposition usage ('below to the other countries'). Additionally, structural fragmentation occurs, especially in the final isolated sentence which lacks a clear grammatical relation or accurate data representation. These errors cause some difficulty and confusion for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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