Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 tables display how the overall population increase in five districts of New York City from 1800 to 2000.

Overall,there are five districts in New York City including Manhattan,Brooklyn,Bronx,Queens and Staten island. The number of residents increased throughout the period,starting from 79,216 with the ending 8,009,185.Meanwhile,the percentage of total population increased in other districts while the percantage decreased in Manhattan by the year that passed before.

Looking the tables,it is clear that the number of people were 79,216 in 1800 in New york city( all five districts).By 2000, this figure had increased 3,437,202 and rising upto 8,009,185.Futhermore,the percentage of inhabitants declined dramatically from 76% to 19% in Manhattan .In addtion,the figure of population drop down from 60,515 to 1,538,096 in Manhattan.

In contrast, the proportion of total residents surged from 24% to 81% while the number of popultaion from 18,701,1,587,109 and 6,471,089 in 1800,1900 and 2000 respectively in others districts ( Brooklyn, Bronx,Queens and Staten Island).

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad trends: New York City’s population grew, Manhattan’s share fell, and the other districts’ share rose. You also include relevant figures for all three years, so the response is on task. However, the account is only partial and some details are unclear or inaccurate. For example, “By 2000, this figure had increased 3,437,202” confuses the 1900 value with the 2000 endpoint, and “drop down from 60,515 to 1,538,096” describes an increase in Manhattan’s population as a drop. The overview also misses the key contrast that Manhattan’s population peaked in 1900 before declining, while the other districts continued to grow. The response is 148 words, two words below the minimum; the eight words copied from the prompt are not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: an opening paragraph introduces the topic, followed by an overview and paragraphs reporting figures, with “In contrast” signalling a comparison. However, the progression is not consistently clear. The second paragraph repeats the total population figures already given in the overview, while the final sentence compresses three years of data into a difficult sequence: “the number of popultaion from 18,701,1,587,109 and 6,471,089.” Some linking expressions, such as “Furthermore” and “In addition,” connect details without making their relationship clearer. Use one paragraph for the overview, then group the detailed comparisons by Manhattan and the other districts, presenting each set of figures in chronological order.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “overall population,” “percentage,” “proportion,” “declined dramatically,” and “surged,” which helps communicate the main trends. There is also some variety in how you describe change. However, word choice and spelling are often inaccurate or repetitive: “number of population” is not a natural collocation, and “drop down” does not fit the increase in Manhattan’s population from 60,515 to 1,538,096. Errors such as “percantage,” “Futhermore,” “addtion,” and “popultaion” are noticeable. Aim for precise, conventional expressions such as “population,” “accounted for,” and “rose/fell,” and proofread spelling so that these errors do not distract from the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast clause beginning “while” and a sentence introduced by “In contrast.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some relationships difficult to follow. For example, “The tables display how the overall population increase” lacks a suitable verb form, while “starting from 79,216 with the ending 8,009,185” has an unclear construction. In “By 2000, this figure had increased 3,437,202 and rising upto 8,009,185,” the verb forms and time sequence are faulty. There are also missing spaces after punctuation and inconsistent capitalisation. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build complete sentences around each comparison.

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