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 illustrates data of proportion of the population in four major Asian countries living in urban areas from 1970 to 2020, with estimations for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, Malaysia accounted for the highest number of people; meanwhile, Thailand had the lowest individuals with the prediction to remain low among all.

At 1970, 30% people of Malaysia lived outside of rural areas. The numbers then rose dramatically, due to which it reached almost 80% at 2020. A further gentle rise is expected in future and the number may surpass 80% in 2040. Moreover, the urban population of Philppines was 32% of its total crowd at 1970. Afterthat, the figure fluctuated throughout the period and touched 40% at 2020. The forcast is to reach 50% in year 2040.

Furthermore, the numbers are quite similar in the cases of both Indonesia and Thailand. These two countries started with 15% and 19% at 1970 and the percentage became same at the year 2000. Indonesia than saw a wild rise in their urban population and reached 50% at 2020, while Thailand remained with same figures. A sharp rise is estimated for both in future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by covering the main features and making comparisons between the four countries from 1970 to 2040. An overview is successfully provided at the beginning, noting general trends like Malaysia's high urban percentage and Thailand's lower figures. However, some parts of the task are developed more fully than others; for instance, the details regarding Indonesia and Thailand are somewhat lumped together, and expressions like 'wild rise' or 'same figures' lack precise reporting of the given data points. Extending the analysis of specific trend shifts and ensuring every country is examined with equal clarity would move this response higher.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

There is a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to grouping the countries. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, seen in transitions like 'At 1970' instead of 'In 1970', and 'Afterthat' or 'Indonesia than', which show awkward referencing and sequencing. Paragraphing is used adequately to separate the introduction, overview, and individual country breakdowns, but logical progression within the paragraphs can feel slightly disjointed due to abrupt shifts between different countries' statistics. Using a wider and smoother range of cohesive devices would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The writer uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'proportion', 'fluctuated', and 'forecast'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'lowest individuals', 'lived outside of rural areas' (instead of urban areas), and spelling errors like 'Philppines' and 'forcast'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they reflect a limited control over precision and style. Utilizing more natural phrasing and checking for spelling mistakes will significantly enhance the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and predictive structures like 'is expected in future' and 'is estimated for both'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as incorrect prepositions ('At 1970' instead of 'In 1970'), missing articles ('due to which it reached almost 80% at 2020'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('the percentage became same'). Fortunately, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear. Greater control over prepositions and article usage in complex structures would elevate this criterion.

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