Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-27

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 6.5)

The line chart illustrates the proportion of the people living in cities based in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia from 1970 to 2020, with predictions for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, Malaysia and Indonesia has shown significant increased in total population over the period and also predicted to rise in the future. Meanwhile, the population in the Philippines has fluctuated and Thailand has recorded the lowest percentage among all categories.

In 1970, exactly 30% of total population was present in Malaysia and slightly rose to around 45% after two decades. It surged to about 77% in 2020 and is predicted to further increase to approximately 85% in 2040. On the other hand, initially Indonesia recorded the lowest figures in 1970, which was around 14%. It rose substantially to exactly 50% in 2020 crossing the Philippines and Thailand. In the future it will rise to precisly 60% in 2040.

In contrst, the total population in the Philippines were initially the highest among other countries, acquiring slightly over 30% in 1970. It increased steadily to just under 50% in 1990 but it showed marginal delice to approximately 43% in 2010. It is predicted to slightly increase to 50% in 2040. Thailand's population was initially around 19% and will continue to rise to approximately 43% over the period of seven decades, recording the lowest total population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features, trends, and making relevant comparisons across the four countries over the given time period. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the general upward trends for Malaysia and Indonesia, the fluctuations in the Philippines, and Thailand maintaining the lowest percentage. Key data points are correctly cited from the chart, such as Malaysia starting at around 30% and reaching 77% in 2020, and Indonesia rising from 14% to 50% in 2020. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in specific figures and interpretations (e.g., stating the Philippines was initially the highest when the chart shows Malaysia and the Philippines were very close at around 30%, and minor discrepancies in data reading like Thailand starting at 18% vs reported 19%). Overall, the task is well-covered with clear selection of data, fitting the Band 6.5 to 7.0 profile well, rounded to a 6.5 for minor data misinterpretations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs dedicated to grouping the countries logically (Malaysia and Indonesia in paragraph 3; the Philippines and Thailand in paragraph 4). Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as "On the other hand", "In the future", and "In contrst". Paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the overall structure. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, and spelling errors in transition words like "In contrst" slightly detract from the flow. Nevertheless, there is a clear logical progression throughout the response, supporting a solid Band 6.5 or Band 7.0 score. Here, minor mechanical cohesion issues place it firmly at Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as "proportion", "fluctuated", "surged", "substantially", and "predictions". Less common vocabulary items are attempted, though with some inaccuracies in word choice and spelling, such as "delice" instead of "decline", "precisly" instead of "precisely", and "contrst" instead of "contrast". Furthermore, phrases like "proportion of the people living in cities based in the Philippines" contain awkward prepositional collocations. Despite these errors, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main features and trends of the graph without impeding overall communication, corresponding to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including time clauses ("In 1970, exactly...") and predictive structures ("is predicted to further increase"). However, there are several grammatical and agreement errors throughout the text. For instance, "Malaysia and Indonesia has shown" contains a subject-verb agreement error (should be 'have shown'), and "increased in total population" should be "increases in urban population". There are also punctuation and phrasing slips such as "the total population in the Philippines were initially" (plural verb with singular-looking subject or mixed conceptual plural). Complex sentence attempts often contain minor errors, though they do not impede overall communication. This performance aligns with the Band 6.0 descriptors.

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