Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-30
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, how much percentage of people are living in four Asian countries staying in cities from 1970 to 2020, and the prediction of population for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, the Malaysia and Thailand were the most and least populated countries up to 2020. Similarly the same case happens in future prediction too.
Looking at the detail, initially Philippines had the most populated city more than 30% of total population where in 2020 the percentage rosed up to 45% by the 2040 it was up to 50%. On the other hand, Malaysia was the top country in 1970 around 29%, by 2020 there is huge increase in population around 75% but in future it goes closely to the 90%.
Meanwhile, in both Thailand and Indonesia were at below 20%. Where Indonesia population got rosed around 50% in 2020 by the future prediction it was around 60%. Thailand was the least populated country in 2020 approximately 30% in future it predicts up to 40%.
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 attempts to address all parts of the task by reporting information for the four countries over the given time period. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies in reading the data from the graph. For instance, the student states that 'Malaysia and Thailand were the most and least populated countries up to 2020,' which confuses population size with the percentage of urbanisation, and incorrectly identifies Thailand as the least populated throughout. Furthermore, data points are frequently misread or vague, such as claiming Malaysia started at 29% in 1970 (actually 30%) and will reach close to 90% by 2040 (it reaches roughly 83.5%). The overview is weak and confused. Consequently, the task achievement is limited by these inaccuracies and lack of precise data reporting.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text is organised into four paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs for specific data. However, the logical progression is hindered by confusing phrasing, particularly in the overview where the concepts of urbanisation percentages and overall population size are conflated. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes misused, such as 'Similarly the same case happens in future prediction too' and 'Where Indonesia population got rosed'. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within sentences often breaks down, making the flow somewhat mechanical and difficult to follow in places.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate basic vocabulary to discuss trends, employing terms like 'percentage', 'prediction', and 'increase'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and inappropriate word choices, such as referring to countries as 'populated' rather than 'urbanised', and non-standard verb forms like 'rosed' instead of 'rose' or 'risen'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success ('future prediction', 'top country'). Spelling is generally acceptable, but vocabulary control restricts the precision required for Task 1 reporting.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical accuracy is quite low. There are frequent errors in clause structure, preposition use, and tense consistency. Examples include 'illustrates, how much percentage of people are living', 'where in 2020 the percentage rosed up', and 'in future it predicts up to 40%'. Punctuation errors also occur, such as unnecessary commas interrupting the flow. These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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