Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The graph illustrate the percentage of population living in cities of four Asian countries named as Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The vertical axis of the graph shows the percentage of total population while the horizontal axis depict years.

The graph shows that at the start of 1970 percentage of population living in cities was 13 and 18 for Indonesia and Thailand respectively, while in Malaysia and Philippines the percentage was bit high and it was 30 and 31 respectively. All of the four countries had increasing trend until 1990, after that there was a declining trend in Phillippines and this declining trend continues untill 2010 but Indonesia, Malaysia was still on the rising path,moreover in Thailand we observed a mild increase.

Year from 2010 to 2020 the graph shows the rising trend for all of the four countries.In 2020 Malaysia is on top of it list with almost 70% of its population living in cities followed by Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand with the percentage of 50, 45 and 31 respectively. The graph also shows that in the coming years like 2030 and 2040 the increase in percentage of population living in cities will continue its growing path in all of the selected countries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the four countries and describe the broad pattern of urbanisation, including the Philippines’ decline after 1990 and the continued rise in the other countries. Your 2020 comparison also captures the ranking, although Malaysia’s figure is closer to 76% than “almost 70%,” and Thailand is about 34%, rather than 31%. The main limitation is that the overview does not highlight the most significant longer-term contrasts: Malaysia is projected to remain highest, while Indonesia rises sharply and is expected to overtake the Philippines. The final sentence mentions future growth but gives no projected figures or comparisons. More precise reporting of these key features would make the response more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged in a clear sequence: an introduction, earlier trends, the 2020 comparison, and future projections. This gives the reader an overall sense of progression, and linking expressions such as “while,” “moreover,” and “followed by” help connect comparisons. However, some transitions are awkward or unclear, particularly “Year from 2010 to 2020,” and the long second paragraph combines several countries and time periods in one sentence. The final paragraph would be more effective if it separated the 2020 figures from the forecast and explicitly compared the projected rankings. This is generally coherent, but cohesion is not always smooth or precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “declining trend,” “rising path,” and “mild increase,” and the meaning is generally clear. However, some expressions are repetitive or imprecise: “increase … will continue its growing path” repeats the same idea, while “on top of it list” is not a natural way to describe the highest figure. There are also spelling errors in “Phillippines” and “untill,” and phrases such as “percentage of population” would be more accurate with an article. Aim for a wider set of precise trend verbs and comparison phrases, and check spelling and collocations carefully. These improvements would make the description more fluent and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses linked with “while” and “after that,” and the main message remains understandable. Some grammatical errors recur, however. For example, “The graph illustrate” and “the horizontal axis depict” have subject–verb agreement errors; “percentage of population” is missing an article in several places; and “Indonesia, Malaysia was still” does not correctly match the plural subject with its verb. The sentence beginning “All of the four countries…” also becomes difficult to follow as several clauses are joined together. Use a mix of shorter, controlled sentences and complex structures, checking agreement, articles, and punctuation as you revise.

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