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 depicts the data about the proportion of the total population in four Asian nations who live in city between 1970 to 2020, with future projection for 2030 to 2040.
Overall, it can be seen that the all country's cities population increased throughout the given years except Philippines.
To begin with, In the year of 1970 Indonesia had nearly 10% of population who lived in city, which slightly increased and reached above 20% in 1990. However, from 2000 to 2020 it rose and surpassed Thailand and Philippines and it will seen as second highest percentage in 2040 with around 40%. In Thailand, there was an average 20-30% individuals lived in city. Which will marginally increased in future.
In 1970, there was 30% individuals lived in city in Philippines. Which little bit inclined and tooke dip in 2010 and remained approximately 40%. In Malaysia total 40% of population live in city, while after 2010 it significantly increased up to 70%. Although, according to the future prediction proportion will rise more than 80% in 2040.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response attempts to present an overview and cover the main trends in the four countries, satisfying the basic requirements of the task. However, the selection of data is somewhat inaccurate and incomplete. For instance, the statement that all countries increased except the Philippines is factually incorrect according to the graph, as the Philippines also shows an upward trend towards the end of the period. Furthermore, several data points are misreported or misinterpreted, such as the claim about Indonesia's percentage in 2040 and the starting figures for Malaysia and the Philippines in 1970. Ideas are under-developed and lack precision in reporting key comparative features, pulling the response down to this level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The writing demonstrates some overall organisation with paragraphs attempting to separate different countries and time periods, fulfilling basic structuring needs. However, there is a lack of clear progression throughout the text, and the logical flow is occasionally hindered by abrupt shifts between ideas and countries. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and sometimes inaccurately, such as starting multiple sentences with 'To begin with' or disjointed transitional phrases like 'Which will marginally increased'. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within paragraphs fails to guide the reader smoothly from one point to the next, placing it firmly at this level of performance.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student displays an adequate vocabulary range to discuss the topic, attempting some less common vocabulary such as 'proportion', 'projection', and 'significantly'. However, there are noticeable lexical and word choice errors, including awkward phrasing like 'cities population' instead of 'urban population' or 'population living in cities', and word form mistakes such as 'increased' where a noun or different tense is required. Spelling and collocation are occasionally flawed, for example 'tooke dip', which causes some difficulty for the reader and prevents the response from achieving a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response relies on a limited range of sentence structures, and attempts at more complex sentences are frequently faulty. There are recurrent grammatical errors throughout the text, such as tense inconsistencies ('live in city' instead of 'lived'), missing articles ('in year of 1970'), faulty relative clauses ('Which little bit inclined'), and prepositions inside grammatical patterns. These frequent errors in grammar and punctuation can cause difficulty and strain for the reader, which is characteristic of this performance level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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