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 graph reveals the percentage of the population living in the urban areas in the Asian countries, namely, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, between 1970 and 2020, and also the estimates for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, the population has increased significantly in all the cities, with Malaysia having the highest residents. Whereas Thailand has the smallest population of all.
The graph shows a similar pattern of change in the proportion of inhabitants in Malaysia and Indonesia. The former started with 30% of total population and could reach nearly 80% by 2040, making it with highest proportion. In contrast, the later commenced from 15% and might reach around 60% by the end.
The Philippines and Thailand showed the same pattern which started with 30% and approximately 18% in 1970, respectively. These fluctuated later they could reach upto 50%. However, Thailand would have least population by the end of period.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by outlining the main trends for the four countries from 1970 to 2040. However, the coverage of the data is uneven, reflecting a tendency to focus on general patterns rather than fully extending all key points. For instance, the discussion of the Philippines and Thailand conflates their starting points and general trajectories inaccurately (claiming both started with 30%, whereas Thailand started at around 18%), and some data points are misreported. The overview captures the overall growth and Malaysia's leading position, but the lack of precise data handling and some under-developed comparisons mean the task is only partially satisfied in terms of precise feature reporting.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, dividing the introduction, overview, and specific body paragraphs logically. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Whereas', 'In contrast', and 'However' are used to structure the text and guide the reader through the comparisons. While referencing is generally clear, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the logical progression occasionally stumbles due to slight inaccuracies in how groups of countries are compared. Nevertheless, the organizational structure meets the requirements of a coherent response well, showing a clear pathway of information from start to finish.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
An adequate range of vocabulary is deployed for the task, including appropriate terms like 'percentage of the population', 'urban areas', 'proportion of inhabitants', and 'fluctuated'. There are some successful attempts to use less common vocabulary, though this is accompanied by occasional word-choice and collocation errors, such as referring to countries as having 'highest residents' rather than the highest urban population proportion, and spelling 'later they could reach upto' where 'upto' should be two words. There are also slight lexical slips like 'the later' instead of 'the latter', but these inaccuracies do not impede overall communication and the message remains clear.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and introductory dependent clauses, such as 'The provided graph reveals the percentage of the population living in the urban areas...'. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and sentence structure that detract from the fluency, including missing articles ('with highest proportion', 'would have least population'), awkward prepositions or phrasing ('making it with highest proportion', 'by the end of period'), and tense inconsistencies in prediction phrasing ('could reach', 'might reach', 'would have'). These structural errors require occasional effort from the reader to parse, placing the grammatical control securely in the mid-range.
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