Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
The line graph illustrates the data on the population in four Asian countries from 1970 to 2020, with future projections for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, Malaysia has the highest percentage of population, while Thailand made up the lowest population. The major trend was that all four nations slightly increased over the decades.
To begin with, the Philippines had 30% of the population in 1970, which moderately rose to almost 50%
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5
The response is severely truncated, consisting of only 70 words, which falls well short of the minimum 150-word requirement. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While the writer attempts to introduce the graph and provide a brief overview, the body of the response cuts off mid-sentence while discussing the Philippines, and fails to report data for all four countries or cover the timeline fully. Ideas are extremely limited and under-developed due to the lack of completion, preventing any meaningful comparison or comprehensive summary of the main features shown in the visual data.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
Despite the extreme brevity of the text, the opening paragraphs show a basic logical arrangement. The writer attempts to separate the introduction and an overview using short paragraphs, and employs basic cohesive framing such as 'Overall' and 'To begin with'. However, because the text stops abruptly after only three sentences, there is no clear overall progression or development of ideas across the response. Referencing and cohesive links cannot be fully evaluated due to the unfinished nature of the writing.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, featuring basic terms such as 'line graph', 'percentage', 'population', and 'countries'. The writer attempts some slightly less common vocabulary with phrases like 'future projections', 'moderately rose', and 'major trend'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies; for instance, the writer states that Malaysia 'has the highest percentage of population, while Thailand made up the lowest population' rather than referring to the urban population percentages. The limited length restricts a wider display of lexical range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The line graph illustrates the data...' and 'To begin with, the Philippines had 30% of the population in 1970, which moderately rose to almost 50%'. Grammatical control in the completed sentences is generally sound, with correct past and present verb tenses applied to the data description and accurate punctuation in the initial clauses. However, the grammatical range is limited by the very short sample, and the final sentence remains incomplete, impeding full evaluation of complex structure control.
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