Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-06

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 6.5)

The Given line graph illustrates the proportion of people who live in cities in four Asian countries between 1970 and 2020, with its projections for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, the urban population in all four countries is increasing substantially, whereas Malaysian cities experience dramatic population growth; it is expected to reach more than double in the following decades.

In 1970, just above 30% of Filipinos lived in cities. This population rate faced fluctuations between 30% and 50% initially, then it steadily climbed and is expected to reach 55% in 2040. Comparatively, fewer (15%) Indonesians stayed in cities in 1970. This rate showed growth throughout the period and is expected to reach 60% by 2040.

Around 19% of Thais lived in cities in 1940, reached 30% in the next two decades and remained relatively stable up to 2020 and is projected to reach 45% in 2040. Similarly, the Malaysian urban population demonstrated substantial growth from 30 to 75% in 2020 and is expected to continue the trend in the following decades.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting on the four countries and providing an overview, satisfying the core requirements. However, some parts are developed more fully than others, and a few details are slightly inaccurate or confusing. For example, the overview mentions that Malaysian cities experience dramatic population growth and will double, which is a good highlight, but the body paragraphs contain some slight slips in reporting specific years and figures, such as stating Thailand's data began in '1940' instead of '1970'. The inclusion of predictions for 2030 and 2040 is handled adequately, but the overall development shows a slight lack of balance across all data points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. Information and ideas are generally organized logically, starting with a broad summary and moving into specific country details. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or features slight awkwardness in referencing, such as the transition from the Philippines to Indonesia in the third paragraph. Paragraphing is used, but the internal logical progression between sentences could be smoother to secure a higher band, as some relationships between data points feel slightly disjointed.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

An adequate range of vocabulary is deployed for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'proportion', 'projections', 'substantially', and 'fluctuations'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary with some success, meeting the criteria for this level. There are, however, some minor word choice and slip issues, such as referring to the historical baseline year incorrectly as '1940' for Thailand, and minor awkwardness in phrases like 'This population rate faced fluctuations'. These errors do not impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the descriptions easily.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like 'whereas Malaysian cities experience...' and 'is expected to reach...'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as tense usage ('reached 30% in the next two decades and remained... and is projected') and minor prepositions, but they rarely impede communication. The majority of the complex structures are controlled well enough to convey the intended meaning, though occasional lapses prevent the writing from achieving a higher level of grammatical polish.

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