Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The line graph shows a comparision between the population living in the cities of Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia from 1970 to 2020, with the upcoming changes for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, Malaysia had the highest number of residents and remained the highest in future. While Indonesia had least individuals, but surged in future. In contrast, Thailand will be the least populated country as compared to other Asian countries.

In 1970, Philippines was the most populated country, approximately 32%, which rose slighty in 1990 to 50%, before declining to 45%. But in 2020, it increased significantly and will reached a maximum at the end of period. Subsequently, Mlayasia was the second most common country, about 30% in the start, then surged to 80% at the end of 2040.

Whereas, Thailand had 19% population in 1970, which grew slightly and reached to 48% in 2040, which will be the least population. Meanwhile, Indonesia had only 13% residents, which showed a sharp rise over the 2040 and will become the second most common populated country as compared to others.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response presents an overview with some main trends, but contains several inaccuracies regarding the data. For instance, the writer claims that Malaysia had the highest number of residents in 1970 and remained the highest, whereas the graph shows Malaysia starting around 30% and being overtaken by the Philippines initially, before rising to the highest position later. Furthermore, figures are sometimes misreported, such as stating Indonesia had 13% in 1970 when the graph shows 14%. While all four countries are mentioned, the lack of precision in reporting data and some confusion in tracking trends means the task is only partially addressed. To reach a higher level, the response needs to select and report data more accurately without misinterpreting the relative positions of the countries across the timeline.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that attempt to group information. However, the logical progression is hindered by confusing transitions and unclear referencing. Words like "whereas", "meanwhile", and "in contrast" are used, but the relationships between sentences are not always clear, leading to a somewhat disjointed flow. For example, moving abruptly between countries makes it difficult for the reader to follow the comparative trends over time. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. To improve, the writer should ensure that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus, such as grouping countries by growth patterns, and use cohesive devices more naturally to guide the reader smoothly through the comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, attempting some less common words and phrases such as "surged", "significantly", and "maximum". However, there are notable word choice errors and typos, such as "comparision" instead of comparison, "slighty" instead of slightly, and referring to countries as "populated countries" when discussing percentages of urban populations. Furthermore, "Mlayasia" contains a spelling error. These lexical slips and inaccuracies do not completely prevent understanding, but they restrict the response from achieving a higher band. To improve, the writer needs to expand their vocabulary related to data trends and ensure greater precision in word choice and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting various tense forms to describe past data and future predictions, such as "will reached" and "will become". However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and tense consistency, such as "will reached" instead of will reach, and missing articles or prepositions. Sentence structures are sometimes clumsy, leading to awkward phrasing like "which showed a sharp rise over the 2040". Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical errors persist throughout the text and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer should focus on mastering verb tense agreement, particularly when shifting between past data and future projections, and ensure better control over complex sentence constructions.

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

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