Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The line graph depicts the data on the proportion of the population between 1970 and 2020 in four different towns of Asian countries along with the projection for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, it is clearly evident that every country faced upward trend over the time. However, Malaysia reached the highest rate of population at the end of the period.

Turning to the details, starting with very low ratio of population living in the cities of Indonesia, it increased steadily and reached almost 60 percentage in 2020 which is the second highest among all. But the total percentage of population in Thailand was less than 30 at the end of 2020. Again, the Philippines was highly populated among four countries in the starting of the period with more than 30 percent. It plummet to almost 50 percent in 1990. But afterwhile, it declined and accounted for less than 45 in 2010. In addition to that, Malaysia

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the general upward direction and correctly note Malaysia’s leading position at the end, while also comparing Indonesia with Thailand. However, the overview is too broad: the Philippines does not rise steadily, and its fluctuations are a major feature that should be highlighted. Several figures or comparisons are inaccurate: Indonesia is about 52% in 2020, not almost 60%, and Thailand is around 34%, not below 30%. The Philippines reaches about 48% in 1990, so saying it “plummet[ed]” to almost 50% reverses the movement. The response also stops during the Malaysia discussion, leaving the account incomplete. Select the main trends accurately and support them with reliable comparisons across the full period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a recognisable introduction, overview and detail section, and phrases such as “Overall” and “Turning to the details” help signal its structure. However, progression is limited: the details move between Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines without a clear organising principle, and the final transition, “In addition to that, Malaysia”, is left unfinished. This prevents the comparison from being completed and makes the ending abrupt. Some linking words, including repeated “But” and “Again”, do not clearly show the relationship between the figures. Grouping countries by their trends or comparing them at key dates would make the information easier to follow, with a complete final paragraph or sentence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportion”, “projection”, “upward trend” and “accounted for”, so the main subject is generally clear. There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “plummet” and “steadily”. However, some choices are inaccurate or awkward for this graph: “towns” does not describe the four countries, “highly populated” refers to population size rather than the urban share, and “ratio of population” is not a natural collocation here. “Plummet” is also too strong and does not match the Philippines’ rise to 1990. Use precise terms such as “urban population share” and “percentage living in cities”, and choose verbs that reflect the actual direction and scale of change.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including the contrast introduced by “However” and the time clause in “starting with…”. Most of the intended meaning can be understood, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, “every country faced upward trend” is missing an article and has an awkward verb pattern; “reached almost 60 percentage” has an incorrect noun form; and “less than 30 at the end of 2020” omits the unit and has an unclear comparison. The sentence beginning “Turning to the details” is also structurally awkward, while the final “In addition to that, Malaysia” is incomplete. Practise complete sentence patterns, articles, and accurate forms for percentages, then proofread each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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