Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-11

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 proportion of citizens living in urban areas in four di Asian countries over a period of fifty year from 1970 to 2020 with future projections from 2030 to 2040.

Overall, population increased throughout the period. Most sifniciant features are Philippines population fluctuated over the period, while Thiland population remained almost same during 1990 t0 2020. Moreover indonesia population will be reached to second highest as it was on bottom in start by overtaking Thiland and Malaysia in 2000 and 2010 respectively.

Firstly Thiland and Indonesia both experienced an increase, Although former one was at almost 18.5% in start, rose gradually, reached above 37% and almost stayed plateued till 2020 and will reach almost 45% in 2040. Likewise later one started at 4%, climed gradually, and projected to be at almot 58% in 2040.

Secondly, Philippines and Malaysia started from almost same percentage 31% and 30% respectively. Malaysia went high steadly at first, and then a sharp rise observed and furthermore, will be reached on top of the table in 2040 with almost 80%. Moreover, Philippines population stayed same in first-decade rose sharply, then declined to almost 40% in 2010, again rose and will at exactly 50% in last year by an overall 20% increase in population throughout the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the overall upward movement and several important contrasts, including the Philippines’ fluctuations and Malaysia’s rise to the highest projected level. The response also compares starting points and gives figures for all four countries. However, some key details are inaccurate or unclear: Indonesia began at about 14%, not 4%, and is projected to reach about 64%, rather than 58%. Thailand’s urban share rose gradually to around 34% by 2020; it did not reach above 37% or remain almost unchanged from 1990 to 2020. The claim that Indonesia overtook Malaysia in 2010 is also incorrect. Your overview is relevant, but these misreadings and the limited precision of some comparisons leave parts of the data less fully reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs grouping Thailand with Indonesia and the Philippines with Malaysia. This gives the reader a generally coherent route through the information. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Firstly,” “Likewise,” and “Secondly” help signal stages and comparisons. However, some connections are mechanical, and the overview’s sequence of claims is difficult to follow, particularly the statement about Indonesia overtaking Thailand and Malaysia. The body paragraphs also mix historical data with projections without always making the transitions clear. Use more precise time markers and organise each paragraph around a clear comparison, so that references such as “former one” and “later one” remain easy to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “fluctuated,” “projections,” “gradually,” and “declined.” These choices show an attempt to describe trends rather than simply list figures. However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural collocations are noticeable, for example “sifniciant,” “plateued,” “climed,” and “went high steadly.” Phrases such as “population increased” and “will be reached on top of the table” are also not well suited to describing percentages of people living in cities. Aim for accurate trend language and check spelling carefully; more precise expressions such as “the urban population share rose” would make the account clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “while,” “Although,” and “as.” The main message is usually understandable, but errors in verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence construction recur. For example, “population increased throughout the period” lacks a clear subject reference, while “will be reached to second highest” and “will be reached on top” use incorrect passive constructions. The sentence beginning “Although former one was…” is also not correctly joined to the main clause, and “Philippines population stayed same” is missing grammatical elements. Practise forming accurate comparisons and use direct active verbs, such as “Indonesia is projected to become the second-highest,” while checking tense consistency between past data and forecasts.

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