Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-21

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 line chart provides information about the percentage of population in four countries who living in cities from 1970 to 2020, with prediction for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, the population of Malaysia has increased steadily while Indonesia's population has gone up gradually as compare with Philippines and Thailand that they have fluctrated in their population.

Between 1970 and 2000, the population of Philippines had fluctrated significantly in which their percentage around 30 to 43 percent. Therefore, the population of Malaysia had increased rapidly appoximate 30 to 60 percent. However, Thailand's population had rose gradually about 20% to 28% While the population of Indonesia had considerable increased almost 10% to 30%.

Between 2010 and 2040, the population of Indonesia will be increased sharply around 40% to 58%. However, the population of Philippines will be decline about 50%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the chart’s subject and include an overview, noting Malaysia’s rise and changes in the Philippines and Thailand. However, the response only partially reports the main features: it gives no clear account of Malaysia and Indonesia’s relative positions by 2040, and the final comparison is inaccurate. The Philippines does not decline to about 50%; it rises from roughly 45% in 2020 to 56% in 2040. Several earlier figures are also misreported, such as Thailand reaching about 30%, not 28%, in 2000. The response is 128 words, below the required 150, which further limits coverage. Add a fuller overview and accurate comparisons across the whole period, including the forecasts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs organised by time period. This gives the reader some sense of progression, and linking words such as “Overall,” “However,” and “Between 2010 and 2040” help signal relationships. However, the organisation is not consistently clear because the paragraphs group all four countries together without a clear comparison pattern, and some links are awkward or misleading. For example, “Therefore” does not express the relationship between the Philippines and Malaysia figures, while repeated “However” makes the final paragraph feel disconnected. Use clearer grouping—such as comparing the strongest rises with the slower trends—and connect each comparison directly to the relevant data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “percentage,” “increased steadily,” “increased rapidly,” and “fluctrated,” showing an attempt to describe trends rather than simply list figures. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, which makes parts of the report less precise. “Population” is repeatedly used where “urbanisation rate” or “proportion living in cities” would be clearer, and “considerable increased” is not a natural collocation. Spelling errors such as “fluctrated” and “appoximate” also reduce accuracy. Build a more varied set of trend expressions and check spelling and word forms; for example, use “fluctuated,” “approximately,” and “rose considerably.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “while” and clauses introduced by “that.” However, the complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. In the opening, “who living” is missing an auxiliary verb; “as compare with” has an incorrect verb form; and “Thailand’s population had rose” uses the wrong past participle. The forecast sentence “will be increased” is also an awkward passive construction, while “will be decline” is grammatically incorrect. Articles and sentence boundaries need attention as well. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and future predictions, using forms such as “rose,” “is expected to increase,” and “will decline,” and proofread each sentence for a complete verb phrase.

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