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)
The table in this report illustrates the changes in the population of New York city from 1800 to 2000. Second and third table also shows the trend of population across the five cities including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island over the same period.
In 1800, the population of all the districts of New York city had started increasing from 1800 to onwards. Secondly, the population of Manhattan city had only 76% in 1800 and at the same time it dropped to 24% for all the other districts. The Manhattan had also population greater than the other districts in 1900 which was fallen down from 54% to 46%. By 2000, the other districts were surged their population which reached up to 81% which was less than the Manhattan city.
To sum up, different cities had different trend in increasing or decreasing the population. New York city had more population than Manhattan and if we compared it with other districts than this population was showed dramatically decline in population.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to address the task but fails to accurately interpret the data provided. The description of the population trends is confusing and contains factual inaccuracies regarding the percentages mentioned. For example, the claim that Manhattan had 76% of the population in 1800 is not supported by the data, and the analysis of the 'other districts' is contradictory. The response lacks a clear overview of the main trends, such as the overall growth of New York City and the shifting distribution of the population among the boroughs. The information is presented in a way that makes it difficult for the reader to grasp the key features of the tables.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression of ideas is weak. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inappropriate, such as the use of 'Secondly' to introduce a point that does not follow logically from the previous sentence. Referencing is often unclear, particularly when referring to 'other districts' or 'different cities', which makes the text difficult to follow. The summary at the end does not effectively synthesise the information provided in the body paragraphs, leading to a lack of overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, often relying on basic terms like 'population', 'cities', and 'districts'. There are instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'surged their population' and 'showed dramatically decline'. These errors occasionally impede the clarity of the message. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'accounted for', or 'proportion', and ensure that these terms are used accurately in context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include incorrect verb tenses ('had started increasing', 'was fallen down'), subject-verb agreement errors, and awkward phrasing ('the other districts were surged their population'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the grammatical inaccuracies are persistent and sometimes make the meaning unclear. A greater focus on sentence construction and proofreading for basic grammatical errors would significantly improve the quality of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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