Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-29

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 6.0)

The provided linegraph illustrates the changes in urban population percentages in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia from 1970 to 2040, with Projections for 2030 and 2040. Overall, an upward trend in urban population percentages can be seen for all four countries. While Malaysia consistently maintained the highest population percentage. Whereas, Thailand recorded the least population percentage among the four countries.

To begin with, In the year 1970 30% of the population of Malaysia was residing in urban areas. By 1990 this figure rose to 48% and by the year 2000 60% of Malaysia's population was residing in urban areas. Moving on, In the year 2010 the population of Malaysia in urban areas was 70% which rose to 80% by 2020. However, It is expected to increase to 85% by 2040. Similarly, for Indonesia the percentage of people residing in urban areas in 1970 was 12%. By 1990 this figure rose to 22%. In addition, by the year 2000 30% of Indonesia's population was residing in urban areas. Moreover, by the year 2010 the proportion reached 45%, which rose to 50% by the year 2020. However, by the year 2040 it is expected that 60% of Indonesia's population would live in urban areas.

In contrast, from 1970 to 1980 32% of the population of Philippines lived in urban areas, this figure spiked upto 50% in 1990. However, from 1990 to 2010 the percentage of people living in urban areas in the Philippines fell from 50% to 40% respectively. This figure slightly rose to 45% by 2020 and is expected to increase steadily with 50% in 2030 and 55% in 2040. On the other hand, in 1970 18% of Thailand's population was residing in urban areas which spiked up to 30% in 1990. From 1990 to 2020 it remained stable at 30%. However, it is expected to rise steadily in 2030 to 40% and by 2040 45% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview of the trends and reporting the main features with data from the chart. An overall trend is identified, and key comparisons are made between the four countries. However, there are minor inaccuracies in some of the specific data points cited. For instance, the student states that Malaysia's urban population in 1990 was '48%', whereas the chart indicates it was around 45.5%. Similarly, the starting point for the Philippines in 1970 is listed as '32%', but the text later claims it was '32%' from 1970 to 1980 while the visual shows slight movement. Despite these minor data discrepancies, the main features are well-covered, and the overview is adequately presented, earning a solid Band 6.5 to 7.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement and is divided into logical paragraphs, with an introduction followed by body paragraphs detailing the countries. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'To begin with', 'Moving on', and 'In contrast'. However, there are some mechanical or awkward transitions, such as the sentence fragment 'While Malaysia consistently maintained the highest population percentage. Whereas, Thailand recorded the least population percentage among the four countries.' This error disrupts the flow of the overview. Paragraphing is generally appropriate, but referencing and sentence boundaries occasionally falter, leading to a Band 6.0 performance for this criterion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, using terms like 'urban population percentages', 'residing in urban areas', 'proportion', and 'stable'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, but some word choices and collocations are slightly imprecise or repetitive, such as 'spiked upto' and 'least population percentage' (instead of lowest). Spelling is generally accurate, but minor lexical infelicities prevent the score from reaching a higher band. Overall, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the information clearly, fitting the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating future predictions ('is expected to increase') and past data points. However, there are notable grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text. For example, there are capitalization errors ('In the year 1970 30%...', 'However, It is expected...'), missing commas in complex structures, and sentence fragments (e.g., starting a sentence with 'Whereas, Thailand recorded...'). Furthermore, phrasing like 'spiked upto' lacks proper spacing. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to cap the score at Band 6.0.

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