Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-08
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 below illustrate the changes in population over the two decades of newyork city whereas other two demonstrate the change within five different cities .
Overall ,New York city has a huge rise of population in over year . In 1800's decade Manhattan has the highest number of citizen over other 4 district but has gone down in 2000's decade over by a huge number .
On the other side , Newyork has below 100 thousand population in 1800 decade but rise by a huge percentage in 2000's year .The number shows that the population of the city has crossed its limit .
Additionally,the manhanttan city tracks the highest population comparison with all other district by a huge number but over the decades it encounter the lowest population as the number decrease by a large percentage. All other district has gain its population ratio by a large percentage and has been ruling the table .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarize the data but fails to accurately report the figures. For example, stating Manhattan had the highest population in 1800 but 'gone down' in 2000 is factually incorrect based on the provided tables, which show significant growth across all districts. The overview is vague, and the analysis lacks precision, often relying on generalizations like 'crossed its limit' rather than citing specific data points. To improve, you must carefully extract and compare the actual numbers provided in the tables rather than making subjective claims about the city's growth.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. While cohesive devices like 'Additionally' and 'On the other side' are used, they are sometimes applied incorrectly or do not effectively link the ideas. The referencing is also unclear; for instance, referring to the districts as 'cities' is confusing. The flow between sentences is often disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison of the data over the two-century period. More careful planning of how to group the data (e.g., by time period or by district) would improve coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'huge rise', 'huge number', and 'large percentage' are used repeatedly, which restricts the range of expression. There are also errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'manhanttan' and 'citizen' (used as a singular noun where plural was intended). The language lacks the precision required for an Academic Task 1 report. You should aim to use a wider variety of synonyms for growth and decline, and ensure that terminology related to statistics and geography is used accurately.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Subject-verb agreement is inconsistent, such as 'The first table below illustrate' and 'All other district has gain'. Punctuation is also problematic, with missing spaces after commas and incorrect capitalization of 'Newyork'. The sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often result in errors. To reach a higher band, you need to focus on basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with pluralization, verb tenses, and consistent sentence construction.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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