Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-13

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 first table illustrate the Gross population of new york city from the period of time between 1800 to 2000. second and third table indicate fluctuations in the population of five different cities over the same period of time.

Overall it is crystal clear that there are significant differences in the main features shown in the given information like % of population .

In the First table the most noticeable feature is increse in the population .In 1800 it was 79,216 and peaked at 8,00,185 in 2000.

Moreover,The second table shows the changes in population of a particular city.The lowest value is 19% and higest value is 76%.

The third and last table shows the population differnce of different districts which ranges between 24% to 81% in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the broad rise in New York City’s population and note that Manhattan’s share fell while the other districts’ share increased. However, the response reports the 2000 total as “8,00,185,” rather than 8,009,185, and gives little accurate detail about the key changes: Manhattan’s population rose to 1,850,093 by 1900 before falling to 1,538,096, while the other districts grew to 6,471,089 by 2000. The statement that the third table shows a “population difference” ranging from 24% to 81% is unclear and does not explain the changing shares. The overview is vague, and the response is 22 words below the required minimum. Select and compare the main figures more fully to address the task.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, a general overview, and comments on the tables. Connectors such as “Overall” and “Moreover” help signal movement between points. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the second and third tables are discussed separately even though they compare Manhattan with the other districts, and “the third and last table” is confusing because the task presents two visuals, with two groups of data in the second. Some sentences repeat general references to population without developing a clear comparison. Group the information by year or by contrasting Manhattan with the other districts, and use clearer references so readers can follow which figures are being discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “population,” “districts,” “peaked,” and “ranges,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or imprecise: “fluctuations” suggests repeated rises and falls, while the data show an overall increase in the city total; “population difference” does not clearly describe percentage shares. Spelling errors such as “increse,” “higest,” and “differnce,” along with inconsistent capitalisation of “New York City,” reduce accuracy. Aim for precise terms such as “accounted for,” “share,” and “declined,” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response mainly uses short, simple statements, with a few attempts to add clauses, as in “The first table illustrate…” and “The most noticeable feature is increse in the population.” These attempts show some sentence variety, but grammatical control is inconsistent. Subject–verb agreement is incorrect in “table illustrate” and “table indicate”; articles and sentence openings are also problematic in “second and third table” and “In the First table.” Punctuation and spacing are uneven, particularly around full stops and commas, and the sentence beginning “Moreover,The second table…” is not properly separated. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then add comparisons using controlled clauses.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.