Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The graph illustrates the information about the proportion of the people in four differrent countries residing in cities from 1970 to 2020, and with the assumption for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, it is clear that, the perentage of the population in cities shows upward trend through the entire frame wherease, Malaysia was top in the periods after Phillpines was the lowest among four countries.

Firstly, in 1970 Malaysia started at 30% and increased rapidly in addition reached at 80% in 2024. Futhermore, the Phillpines stood at 30% in 1970 while, population was rise dramatically and the percentage flactuated in 2010 than rise slowly to above 50% in 2040.

On the other hand, Thailand initiated at just below 20% in 1970 in addition the percentage of population livin in cities went up gradually and peaked to 45% end of the year. In contrast, the ration of people in Indonesia stood to 12% wherease the population surged rapidly and peaked to 60% in 2040

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the overall upward movement and include relevant comparisons, such as Malaysia’s strong rise and the Philippines’ fluctuations. However, the overview is not fully accurate: Malaysia is the highest by 2020 and remains so in the forecasts, but the Philippines is not the lowest throughout; Thailand is lower in 1970, and Indonesia is lower in several later years. Some figures and endpoints are also misreported: Malaysia reaches about 83.5% in 2040, not 80% in 2024, while Thailand is projected to about 49.5%, not 45%. Indonesia reaches about 64% in 2040. To make the summary more complete, select the key changes and comparisons accurately, including Indonesia’s rapid growth and the Philippines’ rise and subsequent dip before recovery.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the countries. This gives the reader a coherent overall arrangement, and phrases such as “Firstly” and “On the other hand” signal movement between details. However, the progression within sentences is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly where several trends are joined with “in addition” or “wherease.” The contrast marker “In contrast” does not clearly establish what Indonesia is being contrasted with, and the country descriptions are not consistently grouped by meaningful similarities. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each comparison directly to the relevant trend; this would make the organisation less mechanical and the relationships between details easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “residing,” “fluctuated,” “gradually,” and “surged,” which helps describe changes rather than simply repeat the chart labels. However, the range is not consistently controlled, and several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “perentage,” “Phillpines,” “flactuated,” and “ration” are noticeable, while “assumption” is not an appropriate term for forecast figures. Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “peaked to” and “stood to 12%.” Aim for accurate, conventional chart language and check spelling carefully. More precise verbs and phrases for increases, decreases, and projected values would make the account clearer and more effective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses linked with “while” and “whereas.” However, complex constructions are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward or unclear. For example, “the percentage of population livin in cities went up gradually and peaked to 45% end of the year” has problems with the verb pattern and sentence construction; “the population was rise dramatically” also uses an incorrect verb form. There are further issues with articles, prepositions, and punctuation, as in “reached at 80%” and the comma after “clear that.” Build accuracy with straightforward past-tense descriptions, then add subordinate clauses only when you can control their grammar.

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