Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-04

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)

This chart shows that the population of New York City changed from 1800 to 2000. It shows that in 1800 the population was 79,216.

In 1900, the population increased from 79,216 to 3,437,202. There are big changes seen in these two years. but in 2000 the population rose to 8,009,185. It's all about the New York City population.

Now will discuss the Manhattan's population in 1800 it was 60,515 the percentage became 76%.

in 1900 the population became 1,850,093, the percentage became 54% in 2000 the population became 1,538,096 and the percentage became 19% there is a huge deiiference seen in those years.

now lwts talk about other districts in 1800 population became 18,701 and the percentage became 24% and in 1900 the population became 1,587,109 and in 2000 it became 6,471,089 it all show the diffrent between these graphs and make revelents between all of them. it shows that the population of new york is high

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to address the task but fails to provide a clear overview or a logical summary of the data. While some figures are mentioned, the selection of information is disjointed and lacks a coherent comparison between the districts. The response fails to group the data effectively, leading to a fragmented presentation. Crucially, the analysis of the 'other districts' is vague and does not clearly distinguish between the four remaining boroughs, which is a significant omission given the provided tables. The response lacks a clear summary of the main trends, such as the overall growth of the city and the shifting population distribution across the boroughs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response lacks logical paragraphing, with ideas presented in a stream-of-consciousness style. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link sentences and ideas, making the progression of information difficult to follow. For example, the transition between discussing the total population and individual districts is abrupt. The use of referencing is weak, and the overall structure is mechanical rather than organized. The lack of clear paragraph breaks makes it difficult for the reader to identify the different sections of the report, such as the overview and the supporting details.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic verbs like 'shows', 'became', and 'increased'. There is little evidence of a range of vocabulary suitable for describing data trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'peaked', 'accounted for', or 'proportion'. Spelling errors, such as 'deiiference', 'lwts', 'diffrent', and 'revelents', are present and occasionally distract from the message. The range of vocabulary is just sufficient to convey basic information but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response relies on simple sentence structures, and there are frequent grammatical errors, including issues with punctuation, capitalization, and sentence boundaries (e.g., 'in 1900 the population became 1,850,093, the percentage became 54% in 2000 the population became 1,538,096'). These errors, combined with the lack of proper sentence structure, make the text difficult to read at times. While the meaning is generally understandable, the lack of complex structures and the frequency of errors in basic grammar limit the score in this criterion.

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