Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-02

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 graph shows the historical percentage of the population in four Asian countries living in cities from 1970 to 2020 and its forecast for 2030 and 2040. Overall, Malaysia and the Philippines were the most urbanized, while Thailand and Indonesia had the least urban population in 1970; however, Indonesia will surpass the Philippines and Thailand will be the least urbanized in 2040.

the Philippines and Malaysia were the most urbanized by having approximately 32% and 30% of the population living in cities in 1970. Malaysia sustained a significant growth rate of urbanization and it is predicted to be the most urbanized in 2040 when 80% of its population will be living in cities; however, the percentage of the population living in cities in the Philippines peaked at 50% in 1990 and then it fell until 2010 before rising again at the same levels in 2030 and it is forecasted to reach 50% in 2040.

In Thailand and Indonesia, approximately 14% and 19% of the population respectively were living in cities in 1970. In 2000, the figures grew to 30% but Indonesia experienced the high migration of people from rural areas to city areas and it is forecast to have 60% of its population living in cities in 2040. Thailand sustained a moderate growth rate in urbanization and it is predicted to have around half of the population still living in rural areas in 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the four countries over the given time period. An overview is provided at the end of the first paragraph, outlining the general trends and terminal positions. However, some data points are slightly inaccurate, such as stating that the Philippines peaked at 50% in 1990 (whereas the chart shows approximately 48%) and misidentifying starting percentages. Furthermore, the development of ideas is uneven; while Malaysia and Indonesia are discussed with sufficient detail, the commentary on the Philippines and Thailand contains some under-developed or imprecise descriptions of fluctuating trends, placing this aspect firmly within the mid-range band criteria.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The report displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from an introductory summary into grouped body paragraphs detailing specific country trends. Paragraphing is utilised adequately to separate different groups of nations. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as "however" and "in 2000", but referencing is occasionally mechanical or slightly faulty, such as the lowercase start of the second paragraph and repetitive sentence structures used to introduce predictions. To reach higher bands, the integration of cohesive devices needs to feel more natural and fluid throughout the entire text, avoiding formulaic transitions between country comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying general trends and statistical changes with terms like "urbanized," "growth rate," "migration," and "forecasted." The writer makes successful attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as "sustained a significant growth rate" and "rural areas." However, there are some minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as "fell until 2010 before rising again at the same levels" and the minor arithmetic slip in identifying the initial percentage for Thailand. These word-choice slips do not impede communication, allowing the reader to easily follow the intended meaning, which is characteristic of this level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and predictive structures like "it is predicted to be" and "will be living in." There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as the missing capital letter at the start of the second paragraph ("the Philippines") and occasional preposition or tense choices, but these errors rarely impede communication and the majority of simple sentences remain accurate. To achieve a higher band, the writer should increase the variety of complex structures while maintaining tighter control over grammatical accuracy and punctuation throughout the text.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.