Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-04

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 provided line graph illustrates the percentage of the people living in urban areas of four Asian countries from 1970 to 2020, with projections for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, all the states showed a continuous increase in population with slight drops throughout the period. Malaysia and Philippines were nearly equal in the beginning but Malaysia followed a steady increase during whole period. while the Indonasia's population was least but started to climb and is going to surpass Philippines and Thailand in the future.

The population of Malaysia and Philippines was nearly equal at 30% in 1970 followed by a increase and both remained under 50% in 1990. After that, Malaysia followed the same trend and is going to hit 80% in 2040, while the Philippines faced a decline and reached 40% in 2010 but again started to climb and is going to hit its previous 2010 percentage in 2040.

On the other hand, the percentage of Indonesia and Thailand was 14% and 19% respectively in 1970 and both experienced a surge and hit 30% in 2000. Then Indonesia showed a steady increase and crossed Philippines in 2010 and is going to hit 60% in 2040 and Thailand started to climb and is going to reach 40% in the future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the line graph, and includes relevant comparisons between the four countries. An overview is successfully provided at the beginning, noting the general upward trend and key shifts. However, some parts of the task are developed more fully than others, and certain details are slightly inaccurate or under-developed. For example, describing the trend as a population increase rather than a percentage of urban population is a minor conceptual inaccuracy. Furthermore, some data points are generalized or described loosely, such as stating Philippines is going to hit its previous 2010 percentage in 2040 without precise clarity on the trajectory. To reach a higher level, the response would need to ensure all data trends are reported with greater precision and fully developed support across all countries.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt at logical organization. The information is divided into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group the countries logically. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'On the other hand', 'After that', and 'Then', though some referencing and transitions feel a bit mechanical. The response partially shows features of the next higher band through its logical sequencing and paragraphing structure, but falls short because referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the dangling clause in the second paragraph 'while the Indonasia's population was least...'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, but the flow between sentences could be smoother to achieve a fully seamless progression of ideas throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and phrases such as 'continuous increase', 'projections', 'surge', and 'surpass'. However, there are noticeable vocabulary and spelling inaccuracies that restrict the score. For instance, 'Indonasia' is misspelled, 'states' is used loosely to refer to countries, and 'percentage of the people' is slightly unnatural compared to 'percentage of the population'. Word choice errors also appear in phrases like 'followed by a increase' instead of 'an increase', and repetitive use of reporting verbs like 'is going to hit' and 'started to climb'. These errors do not impede overall communication, but they prevent the vocabulary from achieving the flexibility and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like relative clauses and future projections with modal-like phrases ('is going to'). There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, but they rarely impede communication. Examples include missing articles ('a increase'), capitalization and spelling errors in proper nouns ('Philippines', 'Indonasia'), and awkward clause coordination where sentences run on without proper punctuation or conjunction control, such as the second sentence of the overview. Good control is shown in several complex constructions, but frequent minor slips in prepositions and articles keep the response firmly at this level, as error-free sentences are not frequent enough to sustain a higher band.

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

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