Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-08

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 5.0)

The line graph illustrates information about the people living in cities in four different Asian countries: Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia in percentage from 1970 to 2020 with future predictins for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, we have seen in upward trend of popullation who lived in cities and the number goes on with future within four asian countries.

At first about 12 percent of Indonesian people who was lived in cities at start of 1970 and will ranked second at 2040 with about 60 percent of population. in contrast philipines people living in 1970 was 32 percent and the figure goes up to about 49 percent in 1990 and then the figure goes doen to 42 percent in 2010.

Malaysia people start second with 30 percent in 1970 and his figure goes up and reach about 80 percent in 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the countries and the broad upward trend, and include some relevant figures, such as Malaysia rising from 30% to about 80% and the Philippines peaking around 1990 before declining. However, the response addresses the task only partially: it omits Thailand entirely and gives little comparison across the four countries. The overview is also too general to highlight the key differences, such as Malaysia ending highest and Indonesia showing the strongest sustained rise. Some figures are inaccurate: Indonesia was about 14%, not 12%, in 1970, and its 2040 figure is about 64%, rather than 60%. The response is 10 words below the required minimum. Include all four series, select the main comparisons, and support them with accurate data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to country-specific details. Connectors such as “Overall,” “At first,” and “in contrast” show an attempt to guide the reader. However, the progression is incomplete: the discussion jumps between Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, while Thailand is absent, and there is no concluding comparison. Some linking is awkward or unclear, particularly “Overall, we have seen in upward trend” and “Malaysia people start second.” Organise the body paragraphs around clear comparisons—for example, the highest and fastest-rising countries, followed by the remaining trends—and use references and transitions that make each relationship explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “line graph,” “percentage,” “figure,” and “upward trend,” so the reader can generally understand the topic. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. Phrases such as “the number goes on with future,” “will ranked second,” and “Malaysia people” do not express the intended meaning naturally. There are also spelling errors, including “predictins,” “popullation,” “philipines,” and “doen.” Use precise terms for proportions and changes, such as “the proportion of the population,” “is projected to reach,” and “declined,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, including a contrast introduced by “in contrast,” but the range is limited and errors occur frequently. For example, “we have seen in upward trend” is missing a grammatical structure, while “people who was lived” combines incompatible verb forms and has incorrect agreement. “Will ranked second” also needs a passive or projected form, such as “is projected to rank second.” Articles and sentence boundaries need attention, as in “at start of 1970” and the extra space and lowercase start after the full stop before “in contrast.” Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and future predictions, and build longer sentences only when their verb forms and clauses are controlled.

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