Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-03

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 provides details about how the percentage of the population in Phillippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia varies in cities between 1970 and 2020, and how the population will be in the future from 2030 to 2040.

Overall, the percentage of the population increased throughout the period, and the population is projected to increase in cities at the end of the period.

In 1970, In phillippines, the percentage of the population in cities was higher, over 30%, very close to Malaysia, recored 30%. Indonesia accounted for the lowest, at 12%, while Thailand had recorded 19%. Next ten years, Malaysia climbed up to 40%, up 10%. Phillippines grew gradually from 30% to 35%. Thailand and Indonesia stood at 20% and 15%. In 1990, phillippines rose approximately to 50%,dominating Malaysia at 45%. Thailand and Indonesia continues its trend and reached 25% and 20% respectively. Following trends continues for two decades.

In 2020, Malaysia completely overcomes all the countries at reached, at 75%, hoping to continue its trend at the end of the 2040, at 80%. While indonesia dominates other two countires at finally achieve 60%./

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main subject and include several relevant comparisons, such as Malaysia and the Philippines being close in 1970 and the Philippines reaching its high point around 1990. However, the overview is too general: saying that all countries increased “throughout the period” misses the Philippines’ decline from about 1990 to 2010. Some figures and trends are also inaccurate or incomplete: Indonesia was about 14% in 1970, not 12%, and by 2020 it was around 52%, not 60%; the latter is closer to its 2030 projection. The final comparison gives Malaysia’s 2040 figure as 80%, whereas it is about 84%, and does not report the Philippines’ or Thailand’s later figures. Select the key overall patterns and report the main stages more accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to historical details and then the 2020 figures. Time markers such as “In 1970,” “In 1990,” and “In 2020” help the reader follow the chronology. However, progression becomes unclear in “Following trends continues for two decades,” which does not explain what happened between 1990 and 2020. The final paragraph also combines several comparisons without clearly completing them, and “While” begins a fragment. Use one body paragraph for earlier changes and another for later changes and projections, with explicit links between the trends. Clearer referencing and more precise transitions would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing graphs, including “climbed up,” “grew gradually,” “stood at,” and “projected.” This gives you a workable range for reporting change and comparison. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural in this context: “the population will be in the future” is vague, “dominating Malaysia” is not a natural way to compare percentages, and “completely overcomes” does not fit the data. Spelling errors such as “Phillippines,” “recored,” “indonesia,” and “countires” are noticeable, while repeated use of “percentage” and “trend” limits variety. Aim for precise terms such as “urban population share,” “exceeded,” “rose,” and “is forecast to reach,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the opening sentence with “how” clauses and comparisons introduced by “while.” However, control is inconsistent, and several sentences contain errors that make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “Thailand and Indonesia continues its trend,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “Malaysia completely overcomes all the countries at reached,” which has faulty verb forms and sentence construction. “While indonesia dominates…” is also an incomplete clause, and the repeated capitalisation and punctuation problems affect readability. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use past tense for historical data and future forms for projections. Check agreement and punctuation before finishing.

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