Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-30

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 5.0)

The given line graph illustrates proportion of population who living in four Asian countries living in cities from 1970 to 2020 ,along with perdictions for 2030 and 2040 .

Overall, Malaysia had highest percentage of living while Indonesia had lowest living .

To begin with, in begining year Indonesia and Thailand had approximately same percentum in begining year and in 2000 both the countries had near about 28% of population which was same, Indonesia followed upward trend in further years and in 2040 it might be 80 percent.

Moreover, Philippines and Malaysia had same percentum that was 30% . from 1990 Malaysia followed upward trend while Philippines followed down ward trend . in 2010 Philippines and Indonesia had same percentage as roughly 39%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the general subject and include an overview that Malaysia was highest and Indonesia lowest, but the overview is incomplete: it does not describe the major changes or the projected outcomes. Several key figures are inaccurate. Indonesia did not reach 80% in 2040; the graph shows about 64%. The Philippines and Malaysia were not both at 30% in 1970 (about 32% and 30%), and in 2010 the Philippines was around 43%, while Indonesia was also close to 43%, rather than both being roughly 39%. The claim that Indonesia and Thailand were approximately equal in 1970 is also misleading. The response contains 112 words, below the required 150; the 11 words copied from the prompt are excluded. Add accurate comparisons and cover the full period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organisation: an opening sentence is followed by an overview and two paragraphs beginning with “To begin with” and “Moreover.” These markers help signal that you are moving between groups of countries. However, the response does not develop a clear progression through the graph, and the comparisons are sometimes difficult to follow. For example, the first detail paragraph moves from the starting year to 2000 and then directly to 2040, while the second shifts between 1970, 1990 and 2010. The overview is also too brief to guide the reader. Organise the details chronologically or by contrasting trends, and use clear references to the countries and years so each comparison is easy to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “line graph,” “percentage,” “upward trend” and “followed down ward trend,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, which makes parts of the report awkward or unclear. “Percentum” is not the appropriate term here; use “percentage” or “proportion.” “Malaysia had highest percentage of living” is an unclear collocation, and “perdictions” is misspelled. Repetition of “same” and “percent” also limits precision. Build a small set of accurate expressions for describing proportions, rises, falls and forecasts, and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a few longer sentence patterns, such as “while Indonesia had lowest living” and “from 1990 Malaysia followed upward trend while Philippines followed down ward trend.” However, most structures are simple or incomplete, and recurring errors affect accuracy. Examples include “population who living,” which needs a relative clause such as “population living,” and missing articles in “Malaysia had highest percentage.” The phrase “in begining year” is repeated and does not form a correct time expression. There are also inconsistent spaces before punctuation and a comma splice in the opening sentence. Practise accurate article use, verb forms and sentence boundaries, then vary sentence structures while keeping each comparison grammatically complete.

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

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