Key features to report

• Urbanisation rises in all four countries over the whole period: every line finishes higher in 2040 than it started in 1970.
• Malaysia shows the biggest change, climbing from 30% in 1970 to around 60% in 2000 and about 76% in 2020, and it is forecast to reach roughly 83% by 2040, the highest figure on the graph.
• The Philippines starts highest at about 32% in 1970 and peaks at almost 48% in 1990, then falls slightly to around 42-43% in 2010 before a projected rise to about 56% in 2040. It is the only country with a period of decline.
• Indonesia starts lowest at about 14% in 1970 but grows fastest after 2000, drawing level with Thailand at 30% in 2000, overtaking the Philippines around 2010 and expected to reach about 64% by 2040.
• Thailand rises only slowly, from about 18% in 1970 to roughly 33% in 2020, so from 2000 onwards it has the lowest urban share, but it is predicted to climb more steeply to about 50% by 2040.
• The figures for 2030 and 2040 are predictions, so they should be reported with future or forecast language such as is expected to or is projected to.

Model overview

Overall, the proportion of city dwellers increased in all four countries and is expected to continue rising until 2040, with Malaysia experiencing the most dramatic urbanisation and remaining the most urbanised nation throughout most of the period. The Philippines is the only country whose urban share fell for a time, while Thailand is set to have the lowest proportion of city dwellers from 2000 onwards.

Paragraph plan

1. 1

   Introduction

   Paraphrase the task in one sentence: the line graph illustrates the proportion of people living in urban areas in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia between 1970 and 2020, with projections for 2030 and 2040.

2. 2

   Overview

   Give two or three general points without figures: urbanisation rises everywhere and is expected to keep rising, Malaysia changes most and stays highest, the Philippines is the only country with a temporary fall, and Thailand ends up lowest.

3. 3

   Body paragraph 1: Malaysia and the Philippines

   Compare the two countries that start highest. Give the 1970 figures (about 32% and 30%), Malaysia's steady climb to around 60% in 2000, 76% in 2020 and a forecast 83% in 2040, then the Philippines' peak of almost 48% in 1990, dip to about 42-43% in 2010 and projected recovery to about 56%.

4. 4

   Body paragraph 2: Indonesia and Thailand

   Compare the two countries that start lowest. Indonesia rises from about 14% to 30% by 2000, then accelerates past the Philippines around 2010 to a predicted 64% in 2040. Thailand grows slowly from about 18% to 33% between 1970 and 2020 but is forecast to reach about 50% by 2040.

Useful comparisons

• Group Malaysia and the Philippines together as the two countries that start with roughly a third of people in cities in 1970, then contrast their very different paths.
• Group Indonesia and Thailand together as the two countries that start below 20%, then contrast Indonesia's rapid growth with Thailand's slow rise.
• Highlight the crossing points: Malaysia overtakes the Philippines in 1980, falls just behind it in 1990 and pulls clearly ahead from 2000, while Indonesia draws level with Thailand in 2000 and passes the Philippines around 2010.
• Contrast past data (1970-2020) with predictions (2030-2040) and change tense and verbs accordingly.
• Compare the size of change: Malaysia gains more than 50 percentage points over the whole period, while the Philippines gains only about 24 points.
• Compare the rankings at the start and end: the Philippines is highest in 1970, but by 2040 the order is expected to be Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Band 8+ model answer

198 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.

Why this answer scores highly

Task Achievement

The answer gives a clear overview of the upward trend, Malaysia's lead and the Philippines' temporary decline, supports every key feature with accurate approximate figures, and distinguishes actual data from predictions.

Coherence and Cohesion

Information is grouped logically by comparing the two higher starters and then the two lower starters, and linking devices such as by contrast, then and both guide the reader without being overused.

Lexical Resource

Varied, precise trend language such as peaked at, dipping slightly, drew level with and is forecast to exceed avoids repetition, and the topic is paraphrased with city dwellers, urban areas and urbanised.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

The answer mixes past tenses for recorded data with future passive forms for predictions, and uses complex sentences with participle clauses and comparative structures accurately.

Useful vocabulary

urbanisation

the process by which a growing share of a population moves to live in towns and cities

city dwellers

people who live in cities; a useful synonym for the urban population

urban population

the people in a country who live in towns and cities rather than the countryside

the proportion of the population

the part of the total population, used to paraphrase percentage

is projected to

is predicted to, used for the 2030 and 2040 figures

is forecast to reach

is expected to rise to a particular figure in the future

percentage points

the arithmetic difference between two percentages, e.g. from 30% to 60% is a rise of 30 percentage points

peak at

reach the highest point before falling

dip slightly

fall a little for a short time

draw level with

reach the same figure as another country

overtake

rise above another country's figure

steady climb

a continuous rise at a fairly even rate

accelerate

begin to rise more quickly than before

the least urbanised

the country with the smallest share of people living in cities

Common mistakes

• Describing the 2030 and 2040 figures in the past tense as if they had already happened, instead of using language such as is expected to or is predicted to.
• Writing that the population of cities increased, when the graph shows the percentage of the population living in cities, not the number of people.
• Describing each country year by year in four separate paragraphs, which produces a list of numbers with no comparisons.
• Missing the Philippines' fall between 1990 and 2010, the only decline on the graph and a key feature.
• Leaving out an overview, or putting figures in it, which limits the Task Achievement score.
• Misreading values, for example saying Malaysia reaches 90% or that Thailand ever falls, when its line never goes down.

Frequently asked questions

Which Cambridge book is this question from?

This line graph about the percentage of people living in cities in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia is Writing Task 1 of Test 1 in Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic, published in 2023.

How should I write about the predicted figures for 2030 and 2040?

Use forecast language such as is expected to, is projected to or is predicted to reach, because these values are predictions rather than recorded data. Mixing past and future forms correctly also shows grammatical range.

Do I need to mention every figure on the graph?

No. There are 32 data points, so select the most important ones: the start and end values, Malaysia's rapid rise, the Philippines' peak and dip, and where the lines cross.

How many words should I write for this Task 1?

Write at least 150 words; around 170-200 words is enough to cover the overview and the key comparisons in about 20 minutes.