Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-10

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 illustrates the propotion of urban residents in four Asian countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, the Phillipines, and Thailand) from 1970 to 2020, along with projections for 2030 and 2040.

Units are measured as a percentage of the total population. Overall, urbanization increased across all four nations over the observed periods and is expected to continue growing through 2040. Malaysia consistently had the highest urban population percentage, while Thailand remained the lowest.

Starting at approximately 32% in 1970, Malaysia's urban population experienced steady growth, surging significantly to reacgh about 70% by 2010, and is projected to climb to over 80% in 2020. In 1970, Indonesia had one of the lowest urbanisation rates at roughly 14%. However, it uderwent rapid growth after 2000, overtaking Thailand and Phillipines to reach approximately 50 % by 2020, with predictions to exceed 60% by 2040. The Phillipines began at around 32% in 1970, peaked temporarily mear 48% in 1990, dipped slighlt, and is projected to reach roughly 55% by 2040. Thailand recorded the lowest percentage throughout the entire timeline, starting at under 20% in 1970, growing slowly to just under 40% by 2020, and expecting to reach nearly 50% by 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response gives a clear overview of the broad pattern: urbanisation rises in all four countries, Malaysia finishes highest, and Thailand is described as the lowest. It also selects useful details, including Indonesia’s rapid growth after 2000 and the Philippines’ peak in 1990 followed by a dip. However, there are important inaccuracies in the comparisons. Malaysia began at about 30%, not 32% (32% belongs to the Philippines), and its figure was about 76% in 2020, not over 80%; the projection above 80% applies to 2030. Thailand was not the lowest throughout: Indonesia had the lowest rate in 1970 and 1980. Correcting these points and making the overview comparisons more precise would strengthen an otherwise relevant, well-supported summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information is arranged in a clear sequence: an introduction, an overview, and then details about the countries. The overview helps the reader understand the main trends before the figures are discussed, and transitions such as “However” and “while” show relationships between ideas. This is a coherent overall arrangement. To make the progression more consistently smooth, group the country details more deliberately—for example, compare Malaysia and Indonesia as the strongest risers, then contrast them with the Philippines and Thailand. Some sentences contain several figures and trend stages, which makes the comparisons harder to follow. More precise linking and clearer grouping would add the flexibility and polish expected at the next level.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The response uses an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “urban residents,” “projections,” “surging,” “overtaking,” and “peaked temporarily.” These choices help describe changes rather than merely list figures. However, some word choices and spelling slips reduce precision: “propotion,” “reacgh,” “uderwent,” “mear,” and “slighlt” should be corrected, and “urban population percentage” is less natural than “proportion of the population living in cities.” “Steady growth” also does not fully capture Malaysia’s substantial rise. Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, while varying trend language carefully. The meaning remains clear, but these inaccuracies limit the control and flexibility of the vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

There is a useful mix of sentence forms, including the overview’s contrast with “while” and the longer sentence describing Indonesia’s rise and projections. Most sentences are grammatically clear, and the response handles past trends and future predictions with generally appropriate tense choices. A few constructions could be made more accurate and natural. For example, “with predictions to exceed 60%” is better expressed as “with the figure predicted to exceed 60%,” and “Thailand recorded … and expecting to reach” needs a parallel structure, such as “Thailand recorded … and is expected to reach.” The sentence beginning “Starting at approximately 32%” also attaches the opening figure ambiguously to Malaysia. More consistent control of these structures would improve accuracy.

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