Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-25

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 4.5)

The line graph illustrates the number of population in four different counties from 1970 to 2020, predicted between 2030 and 2040

Overall,malaysia increased steadily throughout the period rising from 30% in 1970 to 2020.whereas indonesia had the lowest figure 30% to 50%

Looking first the the figure malaysia rose significantly from 30% in 1970 to 80%. in 1990 fall slightly 40% of population.while indonesia followed upware treand 10% in 1970 to 60% all over the year

as for the remaining expenditure categories philippins experienced a climb marginally increase from 30% to 60% however 1. despite this downward trend thailand remained relatively stable at approximately 20% to 45% of population

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response identifies the general topic and attempts to describe all four countries, but it reports the graph inaccurately and omits a clear, reliable overview. For example, Malaysia rises from about 30% to 76% by 2020 and is projected to exceed 80% by 2040; the response instead says it rose to 80% and then fell to 40% in 1990. Indonesia did not start at 10% or reach 60% by 2020, and the Philippines is not shown climbing from 30% to 60%. Thailand’s broad rise is closer, but its figures are still imprecise. The response also falls short of the required 150 words. Select the main trends accurately and support them with a few correct comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is an attempt to organise the response into an introduction, an overview and further details, and phrases such as “Overall” and “as for the remaining” signal a change of focus. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the overview is unclear and the country comparisons are mixed together. The paragraph beginning “Looking first” gives conflicting information about Malaysia, while the final paragraph shifts abruptly between the Philippines and Thailand and includes the stray “1.” Improve the sequence by giving a concise overview first, then grouping countries with similar trends into separate paragraphs. Use linking phrases only where they accurately show the relationship between the figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant graph vocabulary, including “increased steadily,” “rose significantly,” “downward trend” and “relatively stable,” showing an attempt to describe change rather than simply list figures. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward for this task. “Number of population” does not fit a graph showing percentages, and “expenditure categories” is unrelated to the subject. There are also spelling errors such as “counties,” “malaysia” and “philippins,” which reduce clarity. Use precise terms such as “proportion,” “urban population” and “percentage points,” and check country names and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts both simple statements and more complex contrasts, for example “Overall, Malaysia increased steadily … whereas Indonesia had the lowest figure.” However, sentence boundaries and punctuation are often poorly controlled, and several clauses are incomplete or joined incorrectly. “In 1990 fall slightly 40% of population” lacks a clear subject and finite verb, while “Malaysia rose … to 80%. in 1990 fall slightly” creates a fragment and an unclear sequence of tenses. Articles and sentence openings are also inconsistent. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use past tense for historical data and future forms for predictions. Careful punctuation would make the comparisons easier to understand.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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