Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The graph illustrates the proportion of population in four asian countries living in cities namely, philippines,malaysia,thailand, and indonesia from year 1970 to 2020, with predicted population for 2030 and 2040.

Overall,the population increased dramatically in all four countries, including predictions . At the beginning of the period philippines recorded the highest share of population, whereas indonesia had least number of individuals, respectively.

In 1970, Philippines was recorded the highest number of shares in term of population, at 32% and malaysia ,at 30% while, indonesia had least number of individuals with shares of, approximately 14% and thailand at 18%. All asian country's population grew rapidly over the period.

Philippines increased rapidly before fluctuated, to 41% in 2010. Thailand and indonesia also experienced an upward trend and predicted to reach to 42% and 50% by the end of the year. Malaysia predicted to surge at 85% and will became the country with largest share of population by 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially, as it attempts to summarise the main features and trends of the four countries, but falls short of the minimum length requirement by being two words under the 150-word count (with several words copied from the prompt uncounted). While an overview is provided stating that the population increased dramatically in all four countries, some details are inaccurate or inadequately supported. For instance, the text claims that the Philippines recorded the highest share in 1970 at 32%, which is roughly correct, but subsequent descriptions of trends become confused, such as stating that the Philippines 'increased rapidly before fluctuated, to 41% in 2010' and misreporting future projections for Thailand and Indonesia. Key comparisons are attempted, but ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed, lacking a fully comprehensive selection of data points across the whole time span.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response shows some organisation with an introduction, an overall summary paragraph, and body paragraphs attempting to group information by country and time period. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the logical flow is hindered by repetitive phrasing and weak structural links. Paragraphing is attempted, but the paragraphs are very short and fragmented, particularly the brief third and fourth paragraphs which mix different time periods and countries rather than developing a coherent narrative. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or inaccurately, such as starting sentences abruptly with 'In 1970' or 'Philippines increased rapidly', and referencing between sentences is occasionally unclear, preventing smooth transitions throughout the response.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The lexical resource is limited but minimally adequate for the task, providing a basic vocabulary set to discuss proportions and trends. The student attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'proportion', 'dramatically', 'fluctuated', and 'surge', but these attempts are accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word form, such as 'highest number of shares in term of population', 'least number of individuals', and 'will became'. Furthermore, there are frequent capitalization and punctuation issues regarding country names and terms (e.g., 'asian', 'philippines', 'malaysia', 'thailand', 'indonesia'). These lexical inaccuracies and spelling slips cause some difficulty for the reader and restrict the range of vocabulary to a basic level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences and faulty attempts at complex clauses. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing articles (e.g., 'at beginning of the period', 'had least number'), incorrect verb forms and tenses (e.g., 'Philippines was recorded the highest number', 'and predicted to reach', 'Malaysia predicted to surge'), and poor prepositional use. Punctuation errors are also prevalent, such as missing spaces after commas and periods. These frequent errors in grammar and mechanics cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

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

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