Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-17

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The pie charts below show how working adults in a particular country spent their time in 1958 and 2008.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

* Note: these aren’t the original diagrams given in the test, they were recreated for the purpose of demonstration.

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Here is a rewritten, Band 8.0+ response based on standard decennial US Census data for New York City across 1800, 1900, and 2000.Model Band 8.0+ EssayThe table details the total population of New York City and its distribution across five boroughs—Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island—in three selected years: 1800, 1900, and 2000. Overall, New York City experienced massive population growth over the two-century period. While Manhattan was initially the most populous district, its relative share plummeted by 2000 as outer boroughs, particularly Brooklyn and Queens, expanded significantly. In 1800, the total population of New York City stood at approximately 79,000. Manhattan accounted for the vast majority of this figure, housing roughly 60,000 residents (76%). By contrast, the remaining four districts had negligible populations, with Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island ranging between 5,000 and 7,000 residents each, and the Bronx having a mere 2,000. By 1900, the city’s overall population had surged to nearly 3.44 million. Although Manhattan’s population expanded to 1.85 million, its share dropped to 54%. Meanwhile, Brooklyn became the second major hub with over 1.16 million residents. Over the next century, total inhabitants reached roughly 8 million. Notably, Manhattan’s population contracted to around 1.54 million (19% of the city’s total), whereas Brooklyn and Queens became the most populous boroughs, recording approximately 2.47 million and 2.23 million residents, respectively. Staten Island remained the least populated borough throughout, despite growing to 443,000 by 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 1.0

The student has provided an essay that completely ignores the prompt. Instead of summarising the pie charts depicting how working adults spent their time in 1958 and 2008, the student's text discusses decennial US Census data for New York City across 1800, 1900, and 2000, which appears to be a memorised template or model essay for a completely different Task 1 question (a table about borough populations). Because none of the actual visual data provided in the prompt is addressed, the response fails to fulfill the core requirements of Task Achievement. According to the descriptors, responding to a completely different task results in a failing score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

Although the text itself is structured logically as a standalone essay with paragraphing and cohesive devices (such as 'Overall', 'In 1800', 'By contrast', and 'Meanwhile'), it is entirely irrelevant to the prompt provided. However, evaluating the internal cohesion of the produced text, the logical sequencing and paragraphing are well-managed, showing clear internal progression despite the total lack of connection to the visual stimulus.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a wide and appropriate vocabulary range suited for a demographic data report, using terms like 'populous', 'plummeted', 'negligible', 'surged', and 'contracted'. Word choices and collocations are generally accurate and natural, showing that the writer has strong lexical control even though the vocabulary was deployed for the wrong task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay displays a wide range of complex grammatical structures, including relative clauses, participial phrases, and prepositional modifiers. Sentences are grammatically well-formed, with accurate tense usage for past data ('stood at', 'accounted for', 'had surged') and good punctuation control throughout.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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