Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-07

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 REPRESENT THE PERSENTAGE OF THE POPULATION LIVING IN CITIES IN THE PHILLIPINES, MALAYSIA, THAILAND AND INDONESIA BETWEEN 1970 AND 2020, WITH PROJECTIONS FOR 2030 AND 2040.

OVERALL, URBANISATION IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN ALL FOUR COUNTRIES. MALASIYA RECORDS THE HIGHEST PROPORTION FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD AND IS PREDICTABLE TO REMAINS THE MOST URBANISED CONTRY.BY CONTRAST,THAILAND HAS THE LOWEST FIGURE UNTIL 202, ALTHROUGH INDONASIA IS FORECAST TO OVERTAKEIT THEREAFTER.

IN 1970, AROUND 30% OF PEOPLE IN BOTH THE PHILIPINES AND MALASIA LIVED IN CITIES,COMPARED WITH APPROXIMATELY 20% IN THAILAND AND 13% IN INDONASIA. MALASIA THAN EXPERIENCE PERTICULARLY RAPID GROWTH,REACHING 60% IN 2000AND 70% IN 2010,BEFORE RISING TO A PROJRCTED 82%BY 2040.

THE PHILIPPINES FLUCTED AFTER REACHIING ABOUT 48% IN 1990, FALLING TO ROUGHLY 41% IN 2010, BUT IS EXPECTED TO RECOVER TO 54% IN 2040. INDONASIA SHOWED STEADY GROWTH, CLIMBING FROM13% TO ABOUT 42% IN 2010 AND IS PROJECTED TO REACH 62% BY 2040.THAILAND INCREASED MORE GRADUALLY, FROM 20% TO AROUND 310% BY 2010, BEFORE RISING TO APPROXIMATELY 47% IN 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response selects the main trends and makes relevant comparisons: Malaysia is identified as the leading country, while Indonesia’s rise and eventual overtaking of Thailand are highlighted. The overview is clear, and the body supports it with figures for the starting point, key changes and forecasts. Most reported values are close to the chart, including Malaysia’s rise to about 60% in 2000 and Indonesia’s growth to around 42% in 2010. However, there are a few factual inaccuracies: Thailand is described as reaching “310%” in 2010, evidently an incorrect figure, and the claim that it has the lowest figure “until 202” is unclear and does not accurately identify the crossover timing. These slips limit the precision of an otherwise well-selected summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a concise overview, and two paragraphs grouping the country trends. Information generally progresses logically from the initial figures to historical changes and forecasts. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “By contrast,” “before,” and “but” help show relationships between trends. The comparison between Thailand and Indonesia is useful, although the overview’s reference to the year “202” makes that point difficult to follow. Some sentences also pack several figures and stages together, so clearer sentence boundaries and more consistent punctuation would make the progression easier to read. Overall, the organisation is clear, with cohesion generally effective despite a few distracting lapses.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response attempts a suitable range of trend vocabulary, including “urbanisation,” “projections,” “fluctuated,” “steady growth,” and “overtake.” These choices show awareness of the language needed to describe a line graph. However, frequent spelling errors—such as “PERSENTAGE,” “MALASIYA,” “INDONASIA,” and “PROJRCTED”—are noticeable and sometimes make the text harder to process. There are also inaccurate word forms and collocations, for example “is predictable to remains” and “Malasia than experience.” The range is therefore limited in effective control: prioritise accurate spelling and natural combinations such as “is predicted to remain” and “Malaysia then experienced” before adding more ambitious vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response uses some complex structures to compare changes over time, including “The Philippines fluctuated after reaching about 48% in 1990, falling to roughly 41% in 2010, but is expected to recover…” This shows an attempt to vary sentence forms. However, grammatical errors are frequent, and several sentences contain faulty verb forms or agreement, as in “the line graph represent,” “is predictable to remains,” and “Malasia than experience.” Missing spaces and punctuation also disrupt sentence boundaries, while “until 202” leaves the time reference incomplete. These problems sometimes make relationships between events difficult to interpret. Focus on consistent past tense for historical data, accurate subject–verb agreement, and complete, correctly punctuated sentences.

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