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User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 7.0 Example

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

212 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

  1. Paraphrase the graph’s subject, countries, and time span in the introduction.
  2. Give an overview of the overall direction and the main contrast in projected levels.
  3. Describe starting values and Malaysia’s steady rise.
  4. Compare the Philippines’ dip and recovery with Indonesia’s stronger later growth.
  5. 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
IELTS Writing Task 1 visual

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 7.0

The graph illustrates the proportions of people living in urban areas in four different countries in Asia between 1970 and 2020, along with projections for 2030 and 2040. Overall, it is evident that all four nations experienced an upward trend and Malaysia stood out as having the highest percentage among the group. These patterns are particularly clear in Malaysia and Indonesia, whose figures rose substantially, while Thailand remained the lowest for most of the period. In 1970, the Philippines and Malaysia were both at about 30%, compared with roughly 18% in Thailand and 13% in Indonesia. Malaysia then climbed sharply, reaching around 60% in 2000 and 70% in 2010, and is projected to exceed 80% by 2040. Indonesia rose more gradually to about 30% in 2000, before accelerating; it overtook the Philippines at around 2010 and is forecast to reach approximately 64% in 2040. The Philippines peaked at just under 50% in 1990, then declined to the low 40s by 2010 before recovering to the mid-50s by 2040. Thailand increased to around 30% in 1990 and stayed in the low 30s until 2020, after which it is expected to rise to 50%. Consequently, the forecasts leave Malaysia well ahead, while Indonesia and the Philippines finish at intermediate levels and Thailand remains lowest.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Make the overview’s ranking time-specific: state that Malaysia is highest by 2040, while noting that the Philippines briefly leads around 1990.
2
Use approximate values to compare turning points, especially the Philippines’ 1990 peak and its later decline before recovery.
3
Describe the near-equality of Indonesia and the Philippines around 2010 cautiously, since their lines meet at approximately that point.

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