Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-16

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 graph illustrates the information about the ratio of the population in four Asian countries living in cities from 1970 to 2020, while predictions for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, it can be seen that the Malaysia become rose dramatically over the years. Whereas, the Philioppines which fluctuate over the year. It is noticeable that the Thailand which rise slightly.

To commence, the total population begin the Malaysia rising from 30 to 45% untill the year 1990. However, the population climb margenally over the period from 45 to 85%.Secondly, the Indonesia also the major country which hiking the ration and it initiatw with 13% in 1970 but till 200 year it grow gradually. after some decaded the percentage of Indonesia soar rapidly from 25% to 60%.

On the other hand, the Philippines which was significant fluctuation from 31 to 48%. Furthermore, after some 20 year it decline and agin it was rising from 42 to 55%. At the last the Thailand begin in 1970 with 19% and in 1990 it clime 27%. Finally, between 1990 to 2020 it will remain unchanged and in 2020 it was started to go up from 30 to 45%.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the general upward trend in Malaysia and Indonesia and note that the Philippines fluctuates, so the response includes relevant features. However, the overview is incomplete: it does not clearly compare all four countries or highlight that Malaysia ends highest, while Indonesia rises strongly and Thailand grows more gradually. Some details are inaccurate or unclear. For example, Thailand is described as reaching 27% in 1990, although it is about 30%, and the claim that it rises from 30% to 45% by 2020 does not match the graph; it is around 33.5% in 2020. The Malaysia figures are also compressed and confusing. Select key stages and report them accurately to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has separate paragraphs for an overview and supporting details, and signposts such as “Overall,” “To commence,” and “On the other hand” show an attempt to organise the information. However, progression is difficult to follow because the country comparisons are not consistently grouped or sequenced, and some transitions do not express the relationship between ideas clearly. For instance, “Secondly, the Indonesia also the major country” does not connect smoothly to the preceding Malaysia figures, while “At the last” introduces Thailand without a clear comparison. Several sentences are fragments or contain unclear references, which weakens cohesion. Grouping the countries by trend and using straightforward links between accurate comparisons would create a clearer progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of trend vocabulary, including “fluctuate,” “rising,” “decline,” and “soar rapidly,” which is relevant to describing a line graph. However, word choice, collocation, and spelling errors are frequent enough to make some phrases difficult to understand. Examples include “the Malaysia become rose dramatically,” “climb margenally,” and “hiking the ration”; these do not express the intended trends naturally. There are also misspellings such as “Philioppines,” “initi atw,” and “decaded.” Use standard graph language and check spelling carefully. More precise phrases such as “the proportion increased steadily” or “the figure fluctuated” would improve clarity and make the vocabulary more appropriate to an academic summary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

There is an attempt to use both simple statements and longer sentences, but control of sentence structure and verb forms is inconsistent. Several clauses are incomplete or incorrectly formed, as in “Whereas, the Philioppines which fluctuate over the year” and “the Thailand which rise slightly.” Tense choices also shift confusingly between past and future: “it will remain unchanged” refers to a period ending in 2020, while the graph shows past data. Agreement and article use are also problematic in phrases such as “the Malaysia become” and “the Indonesia also the major country.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning hard to follow. Build complete subject–verb sentences and use past tense for historical data and prediction language only for 2030 and 2040.

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.