Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-12

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 line graph provides the information about the proportion of the inhabitants living in urban area of four Asian countries such as Philippines, Malaysia,Thailand and Indonesia between 1970 and 2020, with predictions for upcoming two different years.

Overall, the percentage of the population living in cities, all four countries was going up over the past fifty years. In the future, Philippines and Indonesia's population will increase most than other two countries.

In 1970 Malaysia's urban's population, started with the highest number of inhabitants along with Philippines around at 30%, in 1990 it dropped slightly but in 2000 to 2020 again it rose sharply from 40% to 75%, and it is estimated that it will increase approximately at 85% between 2030 and 2040. Indonesia started with lowest number inhabitants rougly 15% but after that it increased noticeably till 2020 approximately at 50%, and it is forcast that it will go up significantly around third fifths.

Philippines's urban population's percentage started with 30%, 1990 it increased significantly around half of the percentage, but in 2010 it slightly dropped at around 40% but it is projected that it will grow gradually. Thailand's city people was rising gradually and it is estimated that it will grow gradually.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include an overview, noting that urbanisation generally rises and that Indonesia grows substantially. However, the overview is partly inaccurate: Malaysia, not the Philippines and Indonesia, is projected to have the highest urban share, reaching about 84% by 2040. The claim that the Philippines and Indonesia will increase more than the other countries is also not supported across the full period. Some figures and trends are misreported: Malaysia does not drop in 1990, and its rise from 2000 to 2020 is steady rather than sharp. You mention all four countries, but Thailand’s pattern and comparisons are underdeveloped. Select the clearest overall contrasts and report the main turning points more accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and country-by-country detail. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “Overall” and “In the future” signal shifts in focus. However, progression is not always clear because several countries’ data are combined in long sentences, and the Malaysia paragraph moves between years in a confusing order. The final sentence about Thailand is very brief and does not connect its figures to the other trends. Use separate, balanced paragraphs for the overview and key comparisons, and group countries with similar or contrasting patterns. Clearer links between time periods would make the account easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of topic vocabulary, including “proportion,” “urban population,” “projected,” and “increased noticeably,” so the subject is generally clear. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “Malaysia’s urban’s population,” “highest number of inhabitants,” and “third fifths.” There are also spelling errors in “rougly” and “forcast,” and repeated use of “gradually” makes the description less precise. Choose vocabulary that describes percentages and trends directly, and check spelling and natural word combinations. For example, “urban share” or “proportion living in cities” is more suitable than “city people.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “but” and “that,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in sentence structure and punctuation sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow: “In 1970 Malaysia’s urban’s population, started…” has an unnecessary comma and faulty possessive construction, while “1990 it increased significantly” lacks a clear preposition or subject. There are also problems with articles, agreement and verb forms, as in “Thailand’s city people was rising.” Several sentences run together without effective punctuation. Practise building accurate comparisons with a clear subject and verb, and use past forms for recorded data and future forms for predictions.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.