Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-22

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 4.0)

THE GIVEN LINE GRAPH GIVES INFORMATION ABOUT PROPORTION OF THE POPULATION IN FOUR ASIAN COUNTRIES SUCH AS PHILIPPINES, MALAYSIA, THAILAND AND INDONESIA LIVING IN CITIES FROM 1970 AND 2020, WITH PREDICTION FOR 2030 AND 2040.

OVERALL, IT CAN BE OBSERVED THAT THE POPULATION OF MALAYSIA INCREASED OVER THE PERIOD , THE PREDICTION VALUES IS THE HIGHEST IN 2040. THE PHILIPPINES POPULATION DECREASE OVER THE PERIOD AND THE PREDICTION LEVEL IS LOWEST IN 2040.

TO BEGIN WITH, PHILIPPINES

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 2.5

The response identifies the topic and names all four countries, and it attempts an overview by noting Malaysia’s rise. However, it does not adequately summarise the graph: the body stops at “TO BEGIN WITH, PHILIPPINES” and gives no figures, comparisons, or account of the other countries’ trends. The overview also misrepresents the Philippines: its urban share does not decrease across the whole period, but rises overall from about 32% to a projected 56%, despite a dip after 1990. Malaysia is projected to have the highest figure in 2040, but the claim that the Philippines is lowest is inaccurate because Thailand is lower. The response is 77 words, below the required 150, leaving the task substantially incomplete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt at organisation: an introductory sentence is followed by an overview, and “OVERALL” and “TO BEGIN WITH” signal stages in the response. These markers give the reader some indication of structure. However, the final paragraph is only a heading-like fragment, so there is no developed progression through the data or comparison between countries. The overview’s two claims are not connected to supporting details, and the response ends abruptly. To improve, use a complete overview followed by body paragraphs that group countries or trends logically, and connect each comparison to relevant figures. This would create a coherent account rather than a sequence of incomplete statements.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant task vocabulary, including “proportion,” “population,” “increased,” “prediction,” and “period,” and the country names make the subject clear. This gives it a minimally adequate range for describing the graph. However, some phrasing is imprecise or repetitive: “prediction values” and “prediction level” are awkward, while “population” is used where the percentage of people living in cities is meant. The all-capital presentation also makes the writing less polished, though it does not obscure the words. Build a more precise range for describing data, such as “urban population share,” “rose steadily,” and “was projected to reach,” and use these expressions to report actual comparisons.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response mainly uses simple sentence patterns, with a few attempts to combine information, as in “Overall, it can be observed that…”. Meaning is generally recoverable, but grammatical control is inconsistent. For example, “the prediction values is the highest” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “the Philippines population decrease” uses an incorrect verb form. The opening also has an awkward time construction, “from 1970 and 2020,” and the final “To begin with, Philippines” is not a complete sentence. Practise accurate agreement and verb forms, and make sure each sentence has a complete clause. A wider mix of correctly formed sentences would help express trends and comparisons more clearly.

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