Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The first table below shows changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000. The second and third tables show changes in the population of the five districts of the city (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) over the same period.

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

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The table illustrate change in the total population of New York City. The second and third table shows changes in the population of the five districts of the city (Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) over the same period between 1800 and 2000.

Overall, it is evident that New York City (all five districts) population 8,009,185 in 2000. in addition, Manhattan percentage of total population highest. whereas, Other districts population was lowest.

To begin, in 1800 New York City (all five districts) population was 79,216. After that population stood at 3,437,202 in 1900. whereas 8,009,185 population in 2000.

In contrast, population in Manhattan highest one 60,515 was 76% in 1800. After that 1,850,096 population total population 54% in 1900. and the lowest population 1,538,096 percentage 19% in 2000. While, other districts lowest population 18,701 percentage 24% in 1800. After that 1,587,109 population percentage 46% in 1900 in addition population 6,471,0789 population in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the overall rise in New York City’s population and report figures for all three years, so the response includes relevant information from both tables. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: Manhattan did not have the highest percentage in 2000, and the other districts were not the lowest in population then. The key pattern is that Manhattan’s share fell while the other districts’ share rose, and their combined population became much larger by 2000. Some figures are also misreported, including Manhattan’s 1900 population (written as 1,850,096 rather than 1,850,093) and the other districts’ 2000 figure. The response is 124 words, below the 150-word minimum; the 28 words copied from the prompt do not count. Develop the overview and compare the main trends accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the total population and district figures. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is organised. However, progression is limited because the figures are mostly listed in sequence rather than grouped into clear comparisons. Connectors such as “After that,” “whereas,” and “In addition” are repeated or used in ways that do not clearly show the relationship between ideas. For example, “whereas 8,009,185 population in 2000” is left as a fragment, and the final sentence combines several figures without a clear comparison. Use complete sentences and organise the details around the contrasting trends in Manhattan and the other districts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “population,” “percentage,” “total,” and “districts,” and the reader can generally identify the topic of each sentence. However, the range is limited and several phrases are unnatural or imprecise, such as “Manhattan percentage of total population highest” and “population in Manhattan highest one.” Repetition of “population” also makes the report less fluent, while “lowest” is used inaccurately for the other districts in the overview. Aim for more precise reporting language and natural collocations, such as “accounted for,” “share,” “rose,” and “declined.” Check numerical expressions carefully as well, since the final figure is written as “6,471,0789,” which is not a valid number format.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a few longer structures, including “The second and third table shows…” and sentences beginning with “After that,” but most sentences rely on basic patterns and several are incomplete or difficult to follow. There are recurring agreement and article errors: “The table illustrate” should use a singular verb, while “the second and third table shows” needs plural agreement. The overview also lacks a complete grammatical structure in “New York City … population 8,009,185 in 2000.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation are inconsistent, as in “whereas 8,009,185 population in 2000.” Practise forming complete subject–verb sentences and use clauses to compare years, for example, “Manhattan’s population rose to … in 1900, before falling by 2000.”

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

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