Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-05

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 illusrates the changes and projected trend in the percentage of the total population living in urban areas across four southeast Asian countries from 1970 to 2020.

Overall, all four countries exhibit a clear upward trend in urbanization over entire 70 year period. Malaysia is projected to maintain highest proportion of urban residents by the end of the period, while Indonesia shows the most rapid rate growth.

In 1970, the Phillippines had the highest percentage of city dwellers at over 30%, while the urban population in the Phillippines fluctuated slightly and is expected to climb steadily to just under 60% by 2040, Malaysia experienced a sharp, continous rise, surpassing the Phillipines in 1990 and reaching an anticipated peak of around 80% by 2040.

Meanwhile, Thililand and Indonesia started with lower urbanization levels in 1970, at roughly 18% and 12% respectively. Thililand's population grew at a slow but steady approximately 50% by 2040. In contrast, Indonesia's urbanization rate accelerated significantly after1990, Thililand around 2005 and phillipines around 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task by reporting data for the four countries across the given timeline, successfully presenting an overview of the general upward trends. However, some parts are addressed more fully than others. While key extremes such as Malaysia's high projected urbanisation and Indonesia's rapid growth are highlighted, some details regarding specific countries are slightly confused or under-developed. For instance, the discussion of the Philippines contains repetitive phrasing and a slight conflation of historical fluctuations with overall predictions. To reach a higher band, the student should ensure that all main features and comparisons are fully extended, clear, and accurately supported by the data without any blurring of trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from an introduction to an overview and subsequent body paragraphs. Information and ideas are generally grouped by country and time period, ensuring the reader can follow the main narrative easily. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical. For example, the transition between sentences in the third paragraph becomes convoluted, as seen in the run-on structure starting with 'while the urban population in the Phillippines fluctuated slightly... Malaysia experienced a sharp...'. Paragraphing is used adequately, but smoother logical connectors and more precise referencing would enhance the overall flow and elevate the cohesion to the next level.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'urbanisation', 'projected', 'fluctuated', and 'accelerated'. There are, however, several spelling and word-choice errors that slightly detract from the response, including typos like 'illusrates' for illustrates, 'Thililand' for Thailand, and 'Phillippines' with inconsistent spelling. Furthermore, collocation is occasionally awkward, such as 'most rapid rate growth' missing a preposition. These errors do not impede communication, but achieving a higher band would require greater precision in spelling, more sophisticated control of less common vocabulary, and flawless word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating introductory clauses and time markers like 'from 1970 to 2020' and 'by the end of the period'. There are, however, some errors in grammar, punctuation, and article usage that prevent a higher score. Examples include missing articles ('maintain highest proportion'), missing prepositions ('slow but steady approximately 50%', 'after1990'), and incomplete concluding clauses in the final sentence where the syntax breaks down completely ('Thililand around 2005 and phillipines around 2015'). These errors require some effort to parse but rarely impede overall communication. A higher band would require a greater frequency of error-free complex sentences and more consistent control over grammatical structures.

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

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