Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-03

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 bar chart provides details about the percentage of the total population in Philipines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia living in the urban areas between 1970 and 2020, with forecast for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, Malaysia is predicted to have the highest percentage of the total population living in cities. Indonesia intially had the least percentage of the total population residing in cities, but then rose to become the second highest.

The percentage of the total population living in cities in Malaysia showed an upward trend throughout all the years. It started at 30% in 1970 and is predicted to reach almost 82% in 2040. The percentage of the total population residing in urban areas in Indonesia were almost 12% in 1970. It then increased over the years and surpassed Philipines in 2010 to become the country with the second highest population in cities. This percentage is expected to hit approximately 60% in 2040.

In Thailand, the percentage of the total population living in cities was almost 19% in 1970. It then increased to 30% in 1990. After that the percentage hovered between approximately 30% to 32%. The percentage is expected to rise to 45% in 2040. 31% of Philipines total population was living in cities in 1970 which was the highest among all countries. It escalated to almost 48% in 1990 but then dropped to approximately 41% in 2010. After that it has shown an increasing trend.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all countries and provides an overview of the main trends and notable features, satisfying the requirements for this criterion while showing some elements of higher bands through clear comparison. The introduction accurately states the context, though it misidentifies the visual aid as a bar chart instead of a line graph. The overview captures the general trajectory of Malaysia and Indonesia well. However, some parts of the data are treated with minor inaccuracies or lack full extension; for instance, the final values stated for Thailand and the Philippines in 2040 do not completely align with the visual data provided, and certain trends are described with a tendency to over-generalise or under-develop specific fluctuations. To reach a higher level, every data point cited should be meticulously verified against the graph, and all major shifts should be supported with precise figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a logical division of paragraphs, separating the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to specific countries. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'It started at', and 'After that', creating a reasonably clear progression of information. However, referencing and cohesion can sometimes feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, particularly in the structure of the body paragraphs where sentences frequently begin with 'The percentage of the total population...'. Furthermore, the transitional flow between sentences could be smoother. To achieve a higher band, you should vary your introductory sentence structures and enhance the logical bridges between countries and time periods so that the relationships between data points are even more transparent.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with successful attempts at less common and topic-specific items such as 'urban areas', 'upward trend', and 'forecast'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('Philipines', 'intially') and occasional inaccuracies in word choice or phrasing, such as 'least percentage' instead of 'lowest percentage'. While these lexical slips do not impede communication, they reflect a restriction in precision. Additionally, minor repetitive patterns in vocabulary reduce the flexibility of the writing. To improve this score, you need to ensure accurate spelling of key entities mentioned in the prompt, expand your range of synonyms for expressing statistical changes, and demonstrate greater control over collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a reasonable command of past, present, and future prediction tenses (e.g., 'is predicted to reach', 'started at', 'is expected to hit'). There are some error-free sentences, and punctuation is generally handled adequately. However, grammar and agreement errors persist; for instance, 'The percentage of the total population... were almost 12%' contains a subject-verb agreement error, as the singular subject 'percentage' requires 'was'. To move further up the scale, you should eliminate basic agreement errors, ensure consistent control over complex sentence structures, and increase the proportion of error-free sentences throughout the entire text.

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

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