Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-01

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 5.5)

The line graph illustrates the data about the percentage of the population in four different Asian countries living in cities between 1970 and 2020, with estimation for 2030 and 2040.

Overall, Malaysia and Indonesia has similar trends, as they both are increasing steadily, and is predicted to reach at its highest peak. Philippines and Thailand has relatively similar trends. However, Malaysia will reach the highest peak, while Thailand will have the lowest peak among all four.

Malaysia had 30% of total population, while Indonesia had approximately 14%, which had the lowest population among them. Both increased gradually, where Malaysia had 12% increased having approximately 42%, and Indonesia had increase of 8% results in around 22% in 1990. Both population climbed up throughout the period of years and estimated to climb up.

Philippines had population just over 30%, which was the highest at that time, Thailand had approximately 19% in 1970. Philippines population rose steadily till 1980, and had a sharp increase of 18% resulting approximately 48% in 1990, where as Thailand had a sharp increase of 10% resulting approximately 29% in 1990. Although Thailand's population had stability till 2020, Philippines population dropped a little around 40% in 2010, and climbed up in 2020. Both are predicted to have a sharp increase in the total population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You provide an overview and cover all four countries, identifying Malaysia as the highest by the end and Thailand as the lowest for much of the period. Several key figures and trends are reported accurately, including the Philippines reaching about 48% in 1990 and Malaysia’s strong rise. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: Indonesia rose from about 17% in 1980 to 25% in 1990, not to around 22%, and the Philippines fell to roughly 42.5% in 2010 rather than around 40%. The overview also groups Malaysia and Indonesia together despite their different levels and growth patterns, and the forecast trends are not described precisely. Select the most important comparisons and support them with accurate figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear four-paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs comparing the countries. This gives the information an overall logical arrangement, and phrases such as “Overall” and “However” help signal relationships. Some connections are less clear or mechanical, though. For example, “Both increased gradually, where Malaysia…” does not clearly show which years are being compared, while “Both population climbed up throughout the period of years and estimated to climb up” leaves the reference and time span vague. The final paragraph also shifts between countries without consistently grouping comparable trends. Use clearer time markers and refer explicitly to each country when the subject could be ambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of trend vocabulary, including “rose steadily,” “sharp increase,” “dropped,” and “climbed up,” so the main movements are generally understandable. However, several expressions are repetitive or imprecise for describing a line graph. “Highest peak” is not a natural way to describe the highest percentage, and “population” sometimes suggests the number of people rather than the proportion living in cities. Phrases such as “had 12% increased” and “sharp increase in the total population” also show inaccurate word choice or collocation. Aim for precise terms such as “urban share,” “percentage points,” and “rose to,” and vary your trend language while keeping it natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “while” and “although,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. Some grammatical errors remain across the response. Subject–verb agreement is inconsistent in “Malaysia and Indonesia has” and “Philippines and Thailand has”; the overview also has the faulty construction “is predicted to reach at its highest peak.” Other examples include “Malaysia had 12% increased” and “Both population climbed up,” where the verb forms and sentence structure are not controlled. There are also tense and article issues in descriptions of past and forecast data. Practise forming comparisons with accurate subjects and verbs, and use past tense for recorded years and “is/are projected to” for predictions.

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