Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The line chart illustrates the demography of four different nations of Asia between the year 1970 adn 2020 along with future prediction for the year 2030 and 2040.

Overall, there was rise in populations for all the nations with Malaysia being the most populatedin the final predicted year and only Philippines had a drop in population in the year 1990 to 2000.

In 1970, Philippines was the nation with the highest population among the four nations with just above 30 percent of total population which was almost stable until year 1980 before it surged to alomst 50 percent in 1990. After 1990, there was a steady drop in the population until 2010 afetr which a steady rise was predicted of around 50 percent in the year 2040.

Malaysia was second most populated nation in the year 1970 after Philippines with 30 percent of population residing. There was steady rise in the population of Malaysia and was predicted to be just above 80 millions in the year 2040 marking the most densely populated nation among the listed nations. On the other hand, both Thailand and Indonesia had surge in their population from just below 20 and around 12 percent to around 40 and around 60 percent respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response identifies the general upward direction and notes Malaysia’s leading position in 2040, while also recognising the Philippines’ decline after 1990. However, the overview is imprecise: “there was rise in populations” confuses urbanisation percentages with population size, and the Philippines did not have the only decline overall, but the only sustained fall during that period. Several key comparisons are missing or unclear. For example, Indonesia rises from about 14% to 52% by 2020 and is projected to reach 64%, while Thailand grows more gradually before a stronger forecast rise. The claim that Malaysia would exceed “80 millions” is also inaccurate: the chart shows a percentage, not a number of people. Select and report the main trends more accurately, with clear comparisons across the four countries.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the Philippines and Malaysia before briefly mentioning Thailand and Indonesia. This gives the reader some sense of organisation, and phrases such as “After 1990” and “On the other hand” help connect points. However, the progression is uneven because Thailand and Indonesia receive only one broad, underdeveloped comparison, while the first two countries are described in more detail. Some links are also unclear: “both Thailand and Indonesia had surge … to around 40 and around 60 percent respectively” leaves the time period and the distinction between historical and forecast figures unstated. Grouping countries by contrasting trends and using clearer references to dates would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses a reasonable range of trend vocabulary, including “surged,” “steady drop,” “steady rise,” and “predicted,” which helps describe movement in the lines. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this chart. “Demography” and “most populated” suggest population size rather than the percentage living in cities, while “80 millions” mislabels a percentage as a count. “Most densely populated” also refers to population density, not urbanisation. Spelling slips such as “adn,” “alomst,” and “afetr” are noticeable, and “had surge” is an awkward collocation. Use precise terms such as “urban population share” or “proportion living in cities,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is some variety in sentence construction, including time clauses such as “After 1990” and a relative clause in “the nation with the highest population … which was almost stable.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but errors recur in basic sentence patterns and articles. Examples include “there was rise” instead of “there was a rise,” “Malaysia was second most populated nation,” and “There was steady rise … and was predicted,” where the subject of the second clause is unclear. The final sentence also needs a clearer grammatical structure to show which figures belong to each country. Practise accurate article use and ensure each clause has an explicit subject; these changes would make the trend descriptions more controlled.

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