Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The line graph illustrates the proportion of current population living in cities and its prediction in four Asian counties namely Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia over a 70-year period.

Overall, the percentages of people living in cities had increased regularly throughout these years where Malysia had the highest rate of migration. A decline in percentage was observed in Philippines from the year 1990 to 2010 and then rose continuously.

In 1970, Malysia had almost 30 percent people in cities and hope for it to be approximately 80 percent in upcoming years. A significant change in Indonesia had been seen as it rised dramatically from the lowest to the second highest since 2010 and expected to retain this title till 2040.

A very interesting pattern in Phillipines and Indonesia had been observed as their percentage rised first two decades, but levelled off for almost next thirty years. It is notable that the percentage in these two countires is expected to rise in next twenty years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by selecting the main features and providing an overview. However, some aspects are under-developed or contain minor inaccuracies against the visual data. For instance, the statement that the Philippines experienced a decline from 1990 to 2010 overlooks the slight dip and plateau correctly seen in the data, and some specific data points (such as Malaysia in 1970) are slightly misreported or generalised as 'almost 30 percent'. A clear overall trend is identified, but further extension and precision in reporting the figures would elevate the response to a higher level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing specific trends. Cohesion within and between sentences is generally adequate, although referencing and linking devices can occasionally feel a bit mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of time markers like 'In 1970' and 'since 2010'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the information logically, though smoother transitions between the comparative details would improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'proportion', 'migration', 'dramatically', and 'levelled off'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'Malysia' (spelled inconsistently), 'Phillipines', 'rised' (instead of rose), and awkward phrasing like 'hope for it to be' or 'retain this title'. These lexical and spelling slips do not impede communication, but they restrict the score to a moderate band because precision and control are lacking.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like relative clauses and time-dependent predictions ('is expected to rise in next twenty years'). There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ('in Philippines', 'in countires'), incorrect verb forms ('rised first two decades'), and preposition choices. Fortunately, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear throughout the response, reflecting a moderate control over grammatical structures.

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