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 following line graph compares the percentage of population residing in cities in four Asian countries between 1970 and 2020, also gives us the predictions for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, the number of people living in cities has increased massively throughout these years and expected to be increased in the future. Malaysia ranked first in the graph while Indonesia end up on the second place. Thiland and Philippines also experienced growth growth over time.
Malaysia, which was initially as second place just below Thailand with 30% showed a massive surgence and reached about 75% in 2020 and expected to hit around 80% by 2040. Indonesia, despite of having the lowest numbers initially in 1970 of around 12% rose to approximately 50% in 2020 and expected to reach 60% by 2040.
Philippines initially ranked first, above 30% in 1970 experienced fluctuations and peaked in 1990 just below 50%, then seen rise and fall and end of on third place by 2040. Thailand, however started low at just below 20% in 1970 and showed gradual growth, despite of crossing Indonesia in 1990, still end up at fourth place with about 45% in 2040.
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 response covers all parts of the prompt by presenting an overview and reporting key features and comparisons for the four countries. The overview successfully highlights the upward trend across all nations and correctly identifies Malaysia as having the highest urbanisation rate. However, there are a few inaccuracies in the specific data details; for instance, the student states that Indonesia ended up in second place, whereas the graph shows Malaysia first, Indonesia second in 2040, but Indonesia actually surpassed Thailand and Philippines to reach 64% by 2040, while Malaysia reached 83.5%. Additionally, some initial data points contain minor discrepancies, such as Indonesia starting at 14% rather than 12%. Despite these minor data inaccuracies, the main trends and overall comparisons are sufficiently addressed to meet the criteria for a band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is coherent overall with a clear logical arrangement divided into an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for the countries. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group related information. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, as seen in phrases like "end up on the second place" and "end of on third place." Additionally, referencing and transitions between sentences could be smoother. Logical progression is maintained throughout the response, ensuring the reader can follow the comparisons, but the cohesive devices lack the flexibility required for higher bands.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to trends such as "massive surgence", "fluctuations", and "gradual growth". However, there are several lexical errors and awkward word choices throughout the text, such as "growth growth", "end up on the second place", "lowest numbers initially", and "end of on third place". Spelling and word choice errors are noticeable but do not impede communication, placing the response firmly in the band 6.0 category for lexical resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses such as "Malaysia, which was initially as second place..." and participial phrases. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding missing prepositions, articles, and tense consistency (e.g., "expected to be increased", "despite of having", "experienced fluctuations and peaked... then seen rise and fall"). Punctuation and verb agreement errors are also present. These errors occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader, but the overall meaning remains clear, matching the descriptors for band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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