Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-28

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 graph below illustrates information about the percentage of residents in four Asian countries living in cities between 1970 and 2020, and predictions for 2030 and 2040. Overall, the population of the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia is increasing throughout the given time period and predicted to increasein 2030 and 2040 continuosly. First of all, the population of Malaysia was exact 30% in 1970, and upward trend continued; after 1990, it rose dramatically and expected to rise in 2030 and 2040.

On the other hand, the population of Thailand increased more slowly, and in 1970 there population was second lowest but end of the prediction it will be the lowest.

The population of the Philippines was highest in the very beginning of the survey and almost stay the same first

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the topic and make a relevant attempt to describe trends, including Malaysia’s rise and Thailand’s slower growth. However, the response addresses the task only partially: it gives almost no usable figures or comparisons, and the overview that all four countries increase continuously is inaccurate because the Philippines falls after 1990 before recovering. The account also stops mid-sentence at “almost stay the same first,” leaving the Philippines trend unfinished and omitting Indonesia, whose rise is a major feature. Malaysia’s increase is described as dramatic only after 1990, but its earlier growth is also relevant. The response is 20 words below the required minimum, which contributes to the limited coverage. Include a complete overview and compare the countries’ starting and projected positions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening statement is followed by separate comments on Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, and phrases such as “First of all” and “On the other hand” signal relationships. However, progression is difficult to follow because the response ends abruptly in the middle of the Philippines description and does not cover Indonesia. The contrast marker “On the other hand” does not clearly establish what Thailand is being contrasted with, while “Overall” introduces a broad claim that is not supported by the details. Group the information into a clear overview and comparison paragraphs, and use linking expressions to show genuine contrasts or changes rather than simply marking each new sentence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing graphs, including “upward trend,” “rose dramatically,” “increased more slowly” and “predictions.” These choices show an adequate range for the task, but several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, and spelling errors are noticeable. For example, “the population of Malaysia” is not the measure shown—the graph reports the share of residents living in cities—and “exact 30%” is not a natural way to report a figure. “Continuosly” is misspelled, and “stay the same” is too informal and incomplete for a report. Choose precise terms such as “urban population” or “proportion living in cities,” and use standard trend language consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes some simple and compound sentence forms, and the opening sentence communicates the subject clearly. However, control is uneven, particularly when describing past and predicted trends. In “the population of Malaysia was exact 30% … and upward trend continued; after 1990, it rose dramatically and expected to rise,” the clauses do not maintain a clear grammatical structure, and the final clause lacks an explicit subject and auxiliary. “There population was second lowest” also has an incorrect determiner, while “it will be the lowest” needs a clearer reference. The final sentence is incomplete. Use complete clauses with consistent past forms for historical data and “is expected to” for forecasts; check articles and sentence endings.

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