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 chart illustrates the proportion of urban population in philipines malaysia ,thailand and indonesia over seven years from 1970 to 2040.

overall,the percentage of city dwellers increased in all four nations malaysia had the highest urban population by the end of period,while indonasia experienced the most significant growth.the phillipines showed a fluctuating trend.

in 1970 the philipines had highest population about 32 percent closely followed by malaysia about 30 percent.thailand and indonesian were considerably lower then them thailand was on 18 percent and indonesia was about 14 percent in 1970 . there was competition between malaysia and philippines in 1980 malaysia goes up to 40 percent then in 1990 to lmost 45 but then this goes declined to again 40 in 2000 in 2010 becomes 35 percent on other hand philippines were movingg upward and in 2040 it reaches about 80 percent in 2040. as thailand and indonesia are comparetively low than them they reaches to 52 percent in 2040 and indonesia reaches 45 percent in 2040 this is comparitivily low than all nations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You provide an overview that identifies the general rise in urbanisation, Malaysia’s leading position at the end, and the Philippines’ fluctuations. However, several key figures and trends are misreported, which makes the account only partially accurate. Most notably, the Philippines is forecast to reach about 55% in 2040, not 80%; Malaysia rises overall rather than declining after 1990; and Indonesia reaches about 64%, while Thailand reaches about 50%. The claim that Indonesia had the greatest growth is also not supported: Malaysia’s increase is slightly larger across the period. To strengthen the response, select a few accurate comparisons and track each country’s direction clearly, especially in the later years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph with details. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is organised. However, the final paragraph moves between countries and years without a clear sequence, and the comparisons become difficult to follow. For example, the account shifts from Malaysia’s figures to the Philippines, then to Thailand and Indonesia, while the 2040 figures are mixed up. Linking phrases such as “on the other hand” and “as … are comparatively low” are attempted, but they do not consistently clarify the relationships. Grouping the countries by trend, and moving chronologically within each group, would create clearer progression and more reliable comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a line graph, including “proportion,” “fluctuating trend,” “increased,” and “followed by.” These choices show an attempt to vary language beyond repeating “percentage.” However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make parts of the response harder to understand, such as “philipines,” “indonasia,” “movingg,” and “comparitivily.” Some expressions are also imprecise: “there was competition” is not a natural way to describe two data series, and “population” sometimes obscures that you mean the percentage living in cities. Use accurate trend vocabulary and check spelling, while choosing terms that describe the data directly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with comparisons, but control is inconsistent. Many sentences have errors in sentence boundaries, verb forms, articles, and punctuation. For instance, “in 1990 to lmost 45 but then this goes declined” combines an incomplete time phrase with an incorrect verb construction, while “in 2040 it reaches about 80 percent in 2040” repeats the time reference and uses an unclear structure. Capitalisation and commas are also frequently missing, making long sentences difficult to read. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences first, then combine related information with accurate clauses. Check past-tense forms for historical data and use future forms consistently for predictions.

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