User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 8.0 Example

Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.

193 words AcademicTask 1Line Graph

Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

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Ideas to explore

Compare the overall upward direction with differences in pace: Malaysia rises steadily, while Indonesia’s growth accelerates after 2000.
Highlight meaningful exceptions to a simple upward trend, especially the Philippines’ fall after 1990 and Thailand’s extended plateau.
Use the final-year figures to compare the projected ranking: Malaysia is highest, Indonesia next, the Philippines below it, and Thailand lowest.

Suggested structure

Paraphrase the graph’s subject, countries, and time span in the introduction.
Give an overview of the overall direction and the main contrast in projected levels.
Describe starting values and Malaysia’s steady rise.
Compare the Philippines’ dip and recovery with Indonesia’s stronger later growth.
Finish the detailed comparison with Thailand’s plateau and forecast increase.

Useful vocabulary & examples

urban population share: the percentage of a population living in cities
Malaysia’s urban population share is projected to exceed 80% by 2040.
reach a peak: attain the highest point in a period
The Philippines reached a peak of about 48% in 1990.
remain broadly stable: stay at a similar level, with little overall change
Thailand’s figure remained broadly stable near 30% for several years.
be projected to: be expected or forecast to happen
Indonesia’s urban share is projected to reach about 64% in 2040.

Task Prompt

The graph below gives information about the percentage of the population in 4 Asian countries living in cities from 1970 to 2020, with predictions for 2030 and 2040

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 8.0

The line graph provides a visual representation of the percentage of urban population in four Asian countries from 1970 to 2040, with projections for 2030 and 2040. Overall, the data illustrates a clear trend of urbanization across all four countries over the years. The percentage of urban population has consistently increased in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Malaysia had the highest figures for most of the period, rising from about 30% in 1970 to 45% in 1990 and 60% in 2000. It then continued upward, reaching around 70% in 2010 and just over 80% by 2040, the highest projected figure. The Philippines began at just over 30%, climbed to nearly 50% in 1990, and then fell to about 43% in 2010. It recovered thereafter, with the forecast reaching roughly 56% in 2040. Indonesia increased from about 13% in 1970 to 30% in 2000, before rising more sharply to approximately 43% in 2010 and 64% in 2040. Thailand remained the least urbanised for most of the period. Its figure rose from around 18% in 1970 to 30% in 1990, then changed little until 2020. It is projected to reach about 50% by 2040.

Targeted Improvement Tips

Replace “consistently increased” with wording that allows for the Philippines’ rise, decline and later recovery.

Use the overview to identify both the overall rise and the main contrast: Malaysia ends highest, while Thailand remains comparatively low.

Check each selected approximate figure against the graph, especially the 1990 Philippine peak and the projected 2040 values.

AI Feedback

Overall Band

8.0

Excellent

Words

193

Type

Line Graph

Criteria Breakdown

Task Achievement

7.0 Band

The overview identifies the shared upward trend and Malaysia’s leading position, and the body includes relevant comparisons such as Malaysia’s rise to just over 80% and Thailand’s slower growth. However, the claim that the Philippines “has consistently increased” is not accurate: its figure falls after 1990 before recovering. Describe the overall direction as upward while briefly noting that dip, and retain approximate figures for the key turning points.

Coherence & Cohesion

7.5 Band

The sequence is easy to follow: the opening gives an overview, followed by country-level details, with transitions such as “It then continued upward” and “It recovered thereafter.” This makes the fluctuations understandable. The comparison could be even clearer if the body grouped the two stronger growth patterns—Malaysia and Indonesia—before discussing the Philippines’ dip and Thailand’s slower trend, rather than moving through the countries without an explicit contrast.

Lexical Resource

7.0 Band

The answer uses relevant chart language, including “projections,” “urbanization,” “climbed,” and “recovered,” and the approximate figures are expressed naturally. Some wording is repetitive: “percentage of urban population” appears in the opening and again in the overview, while “trend of urbanization” repeats the same general idea. Vary these with concise expressions such as “urban share” or “the proportion living in cities,” while keeping the meaning precise.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

7.5 Band

Sentence structures are varied and generally controlled, as in “rising from about 30% in 1970 to 45% in 1990 and 60% in 2000.” The clauses describing rises and falls are also clear. One factual wording issue affects precision rather than grammar: “has consistently increased” overlooks the Philippines’ decline after 1990. A useful final check is to compare trend adverbs such as “consistently” with every plotted movement before submitting.

Topic Band Distribution

Band 9.03 examples

Band 8.03 examples

Band 7.03 examples

Band 6.03 examples

Band 5.03 examples

Band 4.03 examples

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