Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-19

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 chart illustrates the data of the percentage of the population of four cities Philipines, Malaysia, Thailand , and Indonesia from 1970 to 2020 along with projection fro 2030 and 2040.

Overall, it is clear in the graph, that Malaysia and Phillipines were the highest population in the starting year as compare with two other cities. However, Malaysia is pridicted to reach higher number of residents in the end of the given year.

To start with, Malaysia and Phillipines were almost highest population in 1970 comparetively, which was around 30 percent. Malaysia's population had rose consistantly throughout the years with slight fall in 1990 and and pridicted to considerably highest residents upto 80 percent in 2040. Whereas, Phillipines stood study until 1980 and with the sharp rise to 50 percent in next decade,and will have the upword trend, reaching more then 50 percent in 2040.

Thailand and Indonesia were between 15 to 18 percent in the bigenning. Both population grew steadily throughout the period and Indonesia is pridicted to reaching more then 60 percent while Thailand upto 45 percent in 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the chart’s subject and provide an overview, noting Malaysia’s strong rise and its projected position at the end. You also report several relevant trends, including the Philippines’ rise and subsequent fluctuation, and Indonesia’s growth. However, the overview is partly inaccurate: Malaysia and the Philippines are not both the highest in 1970; the Philippines is highest at about 32%, while Malaysia is around 30%. The claim that Malaysia had a slight fall in 1990 is also incorrect; its figure rises from about 40% in 1980 to 45% in 1990. Some comparisons are underdeveloped, and Thailand’s gradual increase is not described in much detail. More precise comparisons across the four countries would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs grouping Malaysia with the Philippines and Thailand with Indonesia. This makes the main information reasonably easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “However,” “Whereas,” and “Both” help connect ideas, although some transitions are awkward or mechanically used. For example, “Whereas” begins a fragment-like contrast, and “To start with” does not clearly signal a meaningful stage in the data. The final paragraph groups the lower-starting countries effectively, but the comparisons within each group could be sequenced more clearly. Use consistent time-based progression and connect each comparison explicitly to the relevant country.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “projection,” “steadily,” “sharp rise,” and “upward trend,” which helps communicate changes in the graph. However, the range is limited and several word-choice or collocation errors make parts less natural, such as “highest population” for the highest urbanisation percentage and “reach higher number of residents.” Spelling errors are also noticeable, including “Philipines,” “pridicted,” “consistantly,” and “bigenning.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding the general message, but they reduce precision and fluency. Build a more accurate set of terms for describing percentages and trends, and check spelling carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including contrasts with “Whereas” and clauses describing future projections. The overall meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “Malaysia's population had rose” uses an incorrect verb form, while “Indonesia is pridicted to reaching” has an incorrect infinitive pattern. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and sentence construction in “Malaysia and Phillipines were almost highest population.” Punctuation is inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and an unnecessary comma in the overview. Review past-tense forms, structures such as “is predicted to reach,” and sentence boundaries; these corrections would make your varied sentences more controlled.

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