Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The line graph shows information about propotion of population in four Asian countries living in cities between 1970 and 2020, with future predictions for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, propotion of people living in cities in four Asian countries have increased through out the period and is expected to rise in coming decades. Malaysia has the largest share of people living in cities while Population in Indinesia is the fastest to move towards urban environment.

Malaysia experienced a dramatic rise from 30 percent in 1970 to more then 70 percent in 5 decades and figure is expected to increase more then 80 percent in 2040. Phillippines initailly started 30 percent and experienced similar growth until 1990 at near 50 percent. It fluctuated considerably between 1990 and 2010 before stabalizing and is expected to grow over 50 percent in 2040.

Indonesia polulation moved to cities with fastest pace from more then 10 at 1970 and continued its growth sharply overtaking thailand in 2000 at more then 40 percent. Moreover, in the next decade it crossed Phillippines and reaching a peak of around 50 percent in 2020 and is predicted to rise over 60 percent in 2040. Thailand had stable increase in urban population through out the period, beginning at under 20 percent bfore reaching over 30 percent in 2020. The figure is expected to grow to over 40 percent in next two decades.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response gives a clear overview of the broad upward trend, identifies Malaysia as having the highest urban share, and notes Indonesia’s rapid growth. It also selects relevant comparisons and supports them with figures, such as Malaysia rising from 30% to above 70% and Indonesia reaching about 50% by 2020. Most trends are represented accurately. However, one important comparison is misstated: Indonesia overtook Thailand around 2000, but it did not pass the Philippines in the following decade; the Philippines remained slightly higher in 2010, and Indonesia moved ahead by 2020. The claim that Malaysia had the largest share throughout is also too broad, since the Philippines was marginally higher in 1970. More precise comparisons would strengthen an otherwise well-focused summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised into an introduction, an overview and two body paragraphs, with the countries grouped in a way that makes the main trends easy to follow. Sequencing is generally clear, and transitions such as “Overall,” “Moreover” and “while” help connect information. This gives the report a coherent overall progression. Some linking is less precise or slightly mechanical, however: “Moreover” introduces a chronological development rather than an additional point, and “until 1990” does not clearly express the Philippines’ subsequent fluctuation. The final paragraph also moves through several comparisons in one long sequence, making the relationship between the figures less clear. Use transitions that signal time or contrast accurately, and separate distinct comparisons where needed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “dramatic rise,” “fluctuated,” “overtaking,” “stable increase” and “predicted to rise.” These choices show an attempt to vary language rather than repeat “increase” throughout. However, several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, including “propotion,” “Indinesia,” “Phillippines,” “initailly” and “stabalizing.” Some expressions are also awkward or imprecise: “move towards urban environment” and “population moved to cities with fastest pace” are not natural ways to describe the data. Aim for accurate spelling and conventional collocations such as “urbanisation accelerated” or “the urban population share rose rapidly.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The report attempts a mix of simple and more complex structures, including contrast clauses (“while Population in Indinesia…”) and time clauses (“before reaching…”). The meaning is generally recoverable, but errors occur often enough to affect fluency and sometimes make relationships unclear. For example, “propotion … have increased … and is expected” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “Malaysia experienced … and figure is expected” needs an article or clearer reference. The sentence about Indonesia “crossed Phillippines and reaching a peak” also mixes verb forms, and “in next two decades” is missing a determiner. Practise checking agreement, articles and parallel verb forms, and break up long sentences when their grammar becomes difficult to control.

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