Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-26

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 given graph illustrates the information about the percentage of the population in four aisan countries living in cities from 1970 to 2020, with future predictions for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, the perecentage of malaysia population is rapidly increase from as compared to other three countries. whereas, the thailand perecentage is slightly decreased as compared to others.

31% population of philippines in 1970 and 30% of malaysia on same year, 20 and 10 perecentage of thailand and indonesia. in 1980, 40% of malaysia 30% above of philippines and 15 and 25 percentage thailand and indonesia. in 1990 to 2040 the malaysia ratio increase rapidly from 45 to 90 percentage. Whereas philippines, thailand and indonesia ratio very low in1990.

In 2000, 35% of thailand and indonesia remain stable, and philippines ratio decreased slightly 50% to 45% and then from 2000 to 2040 its reaches 55 percentage. But indonesia rapidly increase from 25% to 60% in 2000 to 2040. lastly, thailand reaches 25% to 45% ratio in 2040.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion4.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall4.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the topic and include an overview, noting Malaysia’s strong rise and Thailand’s comparatively low figures. However, the overview is partly inaccurate: Thailand does not decrease; its urban share rises gradually, then more noticeably after 2020. Several figures and comparisons also misrepresent the graph. For example, the Philippines is about 48% in 1990, not 50%, and Indonesia reaches about 52% in 2020 and 64% in 2040, rather than 60% by 2040. The claim that Malaysia reaches 90% is also too high; it is about 84%. The response is 148 words, two below the required minimum. Select the main trends accurately and support them with a few reliable comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has separate opening, overview and detail paragraphs, and it attempts to organise information by year. This gives the reader some structure. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the account jumps between countries and periods, and some comparisons are unclear, such as “30% above of philippines” and “in 1990 to 2040.” Linking words such as “whereas” and “lastly” are used, but they do not consistently clarify how the figures relate; “whereas” also begins a fragment after a full stop. Group the countries or trends logically, and use clear time references and comparison phrases so each paragraph develops one coherent set of information.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “predictions,” “decreased slightly” and “rapidly increase,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several repeated or inaccurate expressions make the report less precise. Phrases such as “ratio” for the share of a population and “Malaysia population” are not natural in this context, while “rapidly increase” does not fit the past-tense description. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “aisan,” “perecentage” and “philippines.” Use accurate terms consistently, such as “urban population,” “proportion” and “rose,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts both simple statements and longer comparisons, but sentence structures are limited and errors occur frequently. Verb forms and agreement are problematic in “the percentage of Malaysia population is rapidly increase” and “its reaches 55 percentage.” Several sentences lack a clear grammatical structure, including “31% population of philippines in 1970” and “in 1980, 40% of malaysia 30% above of philippines.” Capitalisation and punctuation also interfere with sentence boundaries, as in the lower-case country names and “Whereas” after a full stop. Practise complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use consistent past tense for historical data and future forms for predictions.

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