User-written IELTS example
Writing Academic Task 1 Band 5.0 Example
Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.
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
User Essay Analysis
Review the public answer with report-style highlights.
The given line graph depicts the population of metro towns of four Asian countries starting from 1970 till the present, and the prediction is in the future up to the year 2040. Overall, the strength of the four nations in terms of population was between 10 to 30 percent at the beginning of 1970, but Malaysia showed the strongest growth and had the highest figure by 2040. The percentage for Thailand also increased, although it remained the lowest for most of the period.
Malaysia started at about 30 percent and rose steadily to around 60 percent in 2000. It continued to increase, reaching approximately 83 percent in 2040. The Philippines began at a similar level, and its figure climbed to nearly 48 percent in 1990. However, it then fell to about 42 percent in 2010 before rising again to roughly 56 percent by 2040.
Indonesia had the lowest starting figure, at about 13 percent, but its proportion grew gradually to around 30 percent in 2000 and then more quickly to approximately 64 percent in 2040. Thailand rose from about 10 percent to 30 percent by 1990, remained fairly stable until 2020, and then increased to around 50 percent at the end of the period.
Targeted Improvement Tips
Related examples for this topic
Compare different bands on the same IELTS prompt.
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