Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-23

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 line graph illustrates the proportion of the inhabitants living in four Asian countris Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia from 1970 to 2020.

Overall, the population in four countries grow significanlty, Malaysia was the highest gwoing. While Thiland population was considerably moving upward.

In 1970, the population of Malaysia begin with 30% and gradually increased at around

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the graph’s subject and name all four countries, and you attempt an overview by noting that the figures generally rise. However, the response is far too incomplete to report the main features: it gives only one data point, Malaysia at 30% in 1970, and stops mid-sentence at “increased at around”. It therefore omits the major comparisons, including Malaysia’s projected lead, Indonesia’s strong rise, and the Philippines’ fluctuation. The overview also inaccurately suggests all countries grow significantly, without distinguishing their different patterns. The required minimum of 150 words is not met. To improve, complete the report with a clear overview and selected figures comparing the start, end, and notable changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt at organisation: an opening sentence is followed by an overview and then a detail paragraph, with “Overall” and “In 1970” signalling stages of the report. These features give the short response some structure. However, the progression is not developed because the final paragraph ends abruptly, and the overview’s two statements are not clearly connected or balanced. The reader is left without a complete account of the graph or a concluding comparison. Use separate, complete paragraphs for the introduction, overview, and key details, and connect comparisons explicitly—for example, contrast Malaysia’s high projected figure with Thailand’s lower one.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “line graph”, “proportion”, “inhabitants”, “increased” and “population”, so the topic is generally identifiable. However, the range is narrow and several spelling or word-choice errors reduce accuracy: “countris”, “significanlty”, “gwoing” and “Thiland”. The phrase “Malaysia was the highest gwoing” is also unclear; it does not express whether Malaysia had the highest proportion or the fastest growth. “Population ... moving upward” is an imprecise collocation for a percentage trend. Build a small set of accurate terms such as “urban population”, “proportion”, “rose”, “remained stable” and “was projected to reach”, and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including an overview beginning “While”, but control is inconsistent. In “the population in four countries grow significantly”, the subject and verb do not agree, and the past-time description requires a past form. “Malaysia was the highest gwoing” lacks a clear grammatical construction, while “While Thiland population was considerably moving upward” is an incomplete dependent clause and has a missing possessive determiner. The final sentence also stops after “increased at around”, leaving its structure unfinished. These errors make parts of the response difficult to interpret. Practise complete sentences with accurate tense and agreement, and ensure every “while” clause is joined to an independent clause.

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