Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

The line graph provides information on the percentage of population in four Asian countries residing in cities between 1970 and 2020. It also provides predicted figures for the year 2030 and 2040.

Malaysia along with Philippines accounted for the highest percentage of population living in cities in 1970. In contrast, by 2020, Malaysia followed by Indonesia became the countries with the highest percentage of its population living in cities. According to the predicted figures, this trend would continue in 2030 and 2040 as well.

As per the recorded figures, in 1970, Approximately 30% of Filipinos and Malaysians resided in cities, Slightly less than 20% of Thailand's population and close to 15% of Indonesia's population lived in cities. Percentage population of Filipinos fluctuated between 30% and 50% till the 1990. Afterwhich, there was a gradual decline to approximately 40% by 2020. In contrast, figures recorded for Malaysia demonstrated a smaller degree of fluctuation till the 1990 and a substantial rise by 2000, when 60% of its population resided in cities. This figure grew to approximately 75% by 2020. Figures for Thailand remained relatively stable between 1990 and 2020, reaching close to 30% in 2020. Indonesian population living in cities have grown significantly, reaching a value of 50% by 2020.

The predicted figures indicate that the Malaysian population would continue to grow while maintaning a substantial difference from the other countries, reaching a figure close to 85% by 2040. The difference in percentage population between Malaysia and Indonesia in 2020 was 35%, which is predicted to reduce to 25% by 2040. Philippines is expected to reach a figure of 55%, closely followed by Thailand at 50% by 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features, trends, and comparisons across the four countries from 1970 to 2040. An overview is present in the introduction and second paragraph, highlighting the general shift in urban populations over time. Key data points, such as Malaysia starting at approximately 30% and reaching 76% by 2020, as well as the predictions for 2030 and 2040, are accurately cited. However, there are minor inaccuracies in reporting the data; for instance, the text claims that the Philippines' percentage fluctuated between 30% and 50% until the 1990s and then declined to 40% by 2020, whereas the graph shows a peak at 48% in 1990 followed by minor variations before returning to 45.5% in 2020. This tendency to slightly misinterpret minor trend details keeps the response at the current level, bridging well-selected main features with occasional inaccuracies in supporting data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview of rankings, a detailed breakdown of historical figures, and finally the future predictions. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'According to the predicted figures', and 'As per the recorded figures' are used to guide the reader through the data. Referencing is generally clear, though paragraph transitions could be smoother. The progression from past data to future projections is managed effectively, satisfying the requirements for a clear logical flow and fulfilling the criteria of a well-structured academic response.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'residing', 'fluctuated', 'substantial rise', and 'predicted figures'. There is some awareness of collocation and style appropriate for an academic report. However, there are occasional lexical inaccuracies and mechanical phrasing, such as 'Percentage population of Filipinos' instead of 'The percentage of the Filipino population' and the typo 'maintaning' instead of 'maintaining'. These minor errors in word choice and spelling do not impede communication, but they prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

A mix of simple and complex sentence structures is used throughout the response, including relative clauses and conditional-like predictive statements. Grammatical control is generally decent; for example, the use of future forms for predictions ('would continue', 'is expected to reach') is handled correctly. However, there are persistent errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ('till the 1990' instead of 'the 1990s'), capitalization issues ('Philippines' used inconsistently without articles in places), and punctuation slips ('Afterwhich' written as one word instead of 'After which'). While these errors rarely impede communication, they reflect a control of grammar that sits firmly at the current band.

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