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 below shows the changes in the entire population of New York City between 1800 and 2000, and also the changes in the population of the five distinctive districts in New York City over the same period of time.

Overall, the first table, represents the ratio of year and population of the cities in New york york. Furthurmore, the following two tables depicts the same features representing the statistics of specific districts inside the city in addition to it, the percentage of population in regards with the entire population is also included.

In Manhattan, the population has increased deliberately doubling in the year 1800, and falling down in the year 2000. It is seen that the maximum percentage of population comparing the total population was in the year 1800. Regarding other districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island), the population increased from a lower count reaching upto approximately 6,500,000 in 2000 with 81% of total population. Adding up all the statistics of all five districts, the population has grown vastly reach upto approximately 8,000,000 in the year 200.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad rise in New York City’s population and note the shift from Manhattan toward the other districts, including the 81% share in 2000. However, the response only partly reports the key data and contains an important misreading: Manhattan’s population did not double in 1800; it rose from 60,515 to 1,850,093 by 1900, then fell to 1,538,096 in 2000. The overview also describes the tables rather than clearly summarising their main trends, and the citywide figures for 1900 and the district percentages across the years are largely omitted. To strengthen the report, give a concise overview of the overall growth and changing distribution, then support it with accurate comparisons and selected figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to district details. Some linking expressions, such as “Overall,” “Regarding,” and “Adding up,” help signal relationships between ideas. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the overview mainly explains what the tables contain, while the final paragraph combines Manhattan, the other districts, and the city total without a clear comparison. Several references, including “the first table” and “the following two tables,” focus on the presentation rather than the data. Organise the report around the main trends—citywide growth, Manhattan’s rise and later decline, and the other districts’ increasing share—and use links to show these contrasts precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “population,” “percentage,” “increased,” and “falling,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for an academic report. “Distinctive districts” does not mean the same as the city’s five boroughs, “increased deliberately” is unsuitable because it suggests intention, and “ratio of year and population” does not clearly describe the table. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “Furthurmore” and “New york york.” Aim for precise reporting language and natural collocations, such as “population share,” “rose sharply,” and “accounted for.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, including a sentence beginning “Regarding other districts,” and the main ideas can usually be followed. However, errors are frequent, and complex constructions are often not controlled. For example, “The tables below shows” has subject–verb disagreement, while “the following two tables depicts” repeats this problem. The sentence “In Manhattan, the population has increased deliberately doubling in the year 1800” has an unclear structure and an unsuitable tense pattern; “Adding up all the statistics … the population has grown vastly reach upto” is also grammatically incomplete. Use past simple consistently for these historical figures, check singular and plural agreement, and build comparisons in shorter, complete sentences before attempting more complex forms.

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