Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The line graph illustrates the data about the proportion of the population in four different Asian countries that living in cities between 1970 and 2020, with predictions for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, the percentage of people living in cities increased in all four countries. Malaysia showing the most significant and consistant growth. In contrast, Thailand had the lowest growth throughout the period.

Looking first at Malaysia, at the begining of the period, percentage was 30% in 1970, then it rose slightly, at 40% in 1980, it increased further to 45% in 1990, and in next two decades it was approximately 78%, and it will be expected that the population will be increased to roughly 82% in 2040. In addition, the percentage of Indonesia was 11% in 1970, while in 1980 it was approximately close to 12%, in next two decades it was rose sharply to 30%, afterwards, population of Indonesia increased steadily, reached at 42% in 2020, and around 51% in 2020. Moreover, it is also expected that population of Indonesia will be 61% in 2030, and may be around be 65% in 2040.

Turning to remain two countries, in begining year percentage of Thailand was 19%, it incraesed further at 29% in next two decades, furthermore, percentage of Thailand was remained same in next three decades, and also predicted that the population will be increased to 39% in 2030, and reached to around 49% in 2040. In contrast, the percentage of Philippines begining with 31%, and in 1980 it was almost same, afterwards it rose sharply to 50% in 1990, and in next three decades it decline steadily, but it also expected that the polulation of Philippines rose to 50% gain in 2030, and may be around 58% in 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by covering the trends for all four countries across the given time frame, including past data and future predictions. However, some aspects of the task are handled more successfully than others. While an overall trend is provided, some of the specific data points reported are inaccurate or confusingly stated, such as when describing Malaysia's figures or mixing up dates and percentages for Indonesia. Ideas are presented and supported with numbers, but the selection of data lacks precision, leading to under-developed comparisons in places. To achieve a higher band, the student must ensure that data points are accurately transcribed from the visual prompt and that comparisons between countries are made more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text displays an overall logical arrangement, with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to grouping the countries. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Looking first at', 'In addition', 'Turning to', and 'In contrast'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes mechanical or faulty, particularly in the later paragraphs where sentences run on or lack smooth logical links. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and body sections. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to refine the use of cohesive markers and ensure that transitions between sentences within paragraphs flow more naturally without repetitive structures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe upward and downward trends using words like 'proportion', 'percentage', 'rose sharply', and 'decline steadily'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word forms, such as writing 'consistant' instead of consistent, 'begining' instead of beginning, 'incraesed' instead of increased, and 'remained same'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and attempts to use less common phrasing occasionally result in unnatural collocations or inaccurate terms. To improve, the student should expand their range of synonyms for describing trends and pay closer attention to spelling and precise lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and introductory dependent clauses. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that can cause difficulty for the reader. Issues include missing articles ('percentage was 30%'), incorrect verb forms ('that living', 'in next two decades it was rose'), subject-verb agreement errors ('population of Indonesia were'), and run-on sentences joined improperly with commas. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to exercise better control over complex sentence structures, ensure proper tense consistency when shifting between past data and future predictions, and eliminate frequent grammatical slips.

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

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