Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-20

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 that the proportion of the population living in different countries from 1970 to 2020 and forecasting for 2030 and 2040.

To begins with, the population in Malayasia and Indonesia followed a upward trend from 1970 to 2020. In 2040, population in Malayasia who will interested to live in cities would be 80 % of total popultaion, whereas 60 percentage of the population forcasting to live in Indonesia in same year. The people that who were living in Thailand, accounted for 20 % then this trend gradually increasing from 1980 to 2020 and now it is predicted that 45 percentage of the total population will live in cities in same Asian nation.

In Philippines, the proportion of the poluation was nearly 34 % in 1980 then it went to peak level by 50 % in 1990 afterthat, it went slowly down by 40 percentage of total population. Again, it followed upward trend from 2010 to 2040 as of predictions.

Overall, the maximum percentage of population will live in Malaysia in 2040 on the contrast, only least proportion of people will like to live in Thailand.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant trends, including Malaysia and Indonesia rising, the Philippines fluctuating, and Malaysia having the highest projected urban share in 2040. However, the overview is incomplete and one key comparison is inaccurate: Thailand is not the lowest in 2040, since the Philippines is projected at about 56%, compared with Thailand at about 50%. Some figures and descriptions also need closer alignment with the graph: the Philippines peaks at about 48% in 1990, not 50%, and its later decline bottoms out at roughly 43% in 2010, rather than 40%. Include a clearer overview of the main contrasts, especially Indonesia’s strong rise and Malaysia’s consistently high final figures, and report selected data more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to country trends and then a concluding comparison. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “whereas” and “Overall” attempt to connect ideas. However, the progression within the body is not always clear: several countries and time periods are combined in one paragraph, while the Philippines is separated without a clear reason. Some linking expressions are awkward or unclear, such as “To begins with” and “on the contrast,” and “then” is used repeatedly to connect changes. Grouping countries by their trends and using clearer time-based transitions would make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “proportion,” “upward trend,” “predicted,” and “peak level,” so the reader can generally understand the topic. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning difficult to interpret. For example, “population in Malaysia who will interested to live in cities” describes people’s preferences rather than the share living in cities, and “the population forcasting to live” is not a natural expression. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “Malayasia,” “popultaion,” and “poluation.” Use precise terms such as “urban population” and “the proportion living in cities,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a comparison with “whereas” and a sentence describing the Philippines’ changes over time. However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to read. Examples include “To begins with,” “followed a upward trend,” and “who will interested,” which show problems with verb forms, articles, and sentence construction. In “the population in Malayasia and Indonesia followed a upward trend,” the subject and article pattern also need correction. Practise building accurate sentences around the graph’s subject—for example, “The proportion of people living in cities in Malaysia rose”—and check tense consistency when distinguishing past data from forecasts.

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