Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The line graph illustrates the ratio of city population across four Asian countries from 1970 to 2040 covering past and present data while stating future predictions as well.
Overall, it is immediatelly clear that all four nations observed increase in population throughout this period. Malasia after a slight dip stayed at the top. Meanwhile Thailand after considerable increase stayed lowest among these four countries.
The city density for Malasia was 30% in 1970. However in 1990 after a slight drop reached 45%. This percentage surged in coming years and went roughly above 80% in 2040. In contrast, In 1970 thailand was 19% in terms of population after a slight increase till 1990 to 30% nominal change was observed till 2020 after that it peaked at 45% but remained the lowest than other countries.
On the other hand, Indonasia was only at 14% in 1970, kept increasing throughout the period and came second in term of percentage it reached 60%. Furthermore, Philippines in 1970 had 31% total city residents the numbers rose up to 49% in 1990 and fell in coming two years and increased gradually afterwards by 2040 the percentage was recorded at 50%.
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 parts of the task by reporting the trends for all four countries across the given timeframe, including the predictions for 2030 and 2040. An overall trend is provided in the second paragraph, noting that all nations saw an increase in urban population. Key features are selected, such as Malaysia starting and remaining at the top, and Thailand staying the lowest. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting the specific data points. For instance, the student states that Malaysia stayed at the top after a slight dip, whereas Malaysia actually showed a continuous upward trend. Additionally, some figures are slightly inaccurate, such as Thailand's starting point being cited as 19% instead of 18%, and Indonesia's final predicted percentage being reported as 60% rather than 64%. Despite these minor data discrepancies, the main trends and comparisons are adequately addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a clear overall arrangement and is divided into an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for the countries. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions and comparisons, such as 'Overall', 'Meanwhile', 'In contrast', and 'On the other hand'. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak, as the overview is placed directly into the second sentence of the first body paragraph or forms a very brief second paragraph without a distinct break. Furthermore, referencing and logical progression are occasionally faulty, as seen in the slightly disjointed movement between sentences in the third paragraph regarding Thailand and Indonesia. Overall, the writing is coherent enough to be followed easily, but cohesion requires more refined management.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'surged', 'nominal change', and 'gradually'. However, there are several spelling and word-choice errors, including 'immediatelly', 'Malasia' (repeatedly misspelled), 'thailand' (lowercase), and 'Indonasia'. Furthermore, phrases like 'the city density for Malasia' and 'thailand was 19% in terms of population' are awkward and imprecise. The vocabulary is minimally sufficient to convey the intended meaning, but errors in spelling and collocation prevent the score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating dependent clauses and comparative structures. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are several run-on sentences and punctuation errors, such as missing commas after introductory phrases and clauses (e.g., 'In 1970 thailand was 19%' and 'by 2040 the percentage was recorded'). There are also syntactic errors and missing verbs, such as 'Malasia after a slight dip stayed at the top' and 'fell in coming two years and increased gradually afterwards'. Simple structures tend to be more accurate, while attempts at complex sentences often result in punctuation and structural errors that cause minor reader difficulty.
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