Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-01

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 given graph shows information about the percentage of thr population in four Asian countries living in cities from 1970 to 2020, with predictions for 2030 and 2040.

In general, it can be clearly seen that Malaysia will having the highest percentage of population in the last year and Thailand will having the lowest population.

Looking at the graph in more detail, Malaysia had exactly 30% of total population and it continuously increased from 1990 to 2040 to 80% of population. Philippines had 31% of population in 1970 and it started flucuate. It will having 50% of population in 2040.

Moving to the next city, Thailand experienced lowest population in 1970 about 19% and it increased in 1990 to 30%. Population increased continuously and it will having 55% of population in 2040. Moreover, Indonesia had the lowest population in initial year by 15%. It was rapidly increased over the years. In 2040, it will having population by 60%.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task partially by presenting some key features and data points from the graph, such as mentioning Malaysia and Thailand at the extremes. However, the selection of data is incomplete and contains several inaccurate figures that do not match the visual data. For example, the text states that Malaysia had 30% of the total population in 1970 and reached 80% by 2040, whereas the graph indicates different trajectories and end points. The overview sentence attempts to summarise the main trends regarding the highest and lowest countries, but the overall progression and selection remain limited and under-developed, preventing a more complete reporting of the visual information.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response displays some organisational structure with a basic introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to different countries. However, there is no clear overall progression across the text, and the logical flow between sentences is occasionally disrupted. Cohesive devices are used in a somewhat mechanical or repetitive manner, such as repeatedly starting sentences with phrases like 'Malaysia had' or 'Population increased'. Paragraphing is attempted, but referencing and transitions between the data points are not always clear or fully controlled, resulting in a somewhat disjointed progression of information.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey basic trends, employing terms such as 'percentage', 'population', and 'increased'. However, there are noticeable lexical and spelling errors that affect precision, such as 'thr' instead of 'the', and awkward phrasing like 'will having'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are constrained by repetitive patterns and incorrect word forms, which can cause some difficulty for the reader in interpreting the specific data points correctly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer uses a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and repeated subject-verb patterns. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly with verb forms, tenses, and auxiliary usage, such as 'Malaysia will having' and 'it started flucuate'. These frequent errors in grammar, along with missing articles like 'experienced lowest population', cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and reflect a restricted control over complex grammatical forms.

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