Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-10
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 chart showed the population of New York city from 1800 to 2000 with the five different districts of the city.
overall, in the year 2000 the population recorded the highest number of pupils, however in the year 1800 accounted for the least number of residence. In addition
highest percentage of people made up by the year 1800.
The least number of population recorded in the year 1800 with 19,216 residence.
In the next 2 decade it escalated up to 8,009,185 fallowed by the year 2000.In the year 1900 the populance went up to 3,437,202 almost four time more then last decade. the largest percentage of population was represented by the year 1800 in Manhattan with 60,515 residence with 76%. Almost half of the pupils was living in Manhattan in the year 1900 with 54% of the residence. By the year 2000 it reduced up to 19% which fallowed by 1,538,096.
The half of the quater population was contributed by other districts in the year 1800 with 24%. Almost half of the residence was recorded in other districts with 46% of the population in the year 1900. The largest number was contributed by the year 2000 with 6,471,089.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5
The response attempts to summarize the data but fails to clearly identify the main trends or provide a coherent overview. The information is often inaccurate or confusing; for instance, stating that 1800 had the 'highest percentage of people' is factually incorrect based on the provided tables. The data points are frequently misquoted or presented in a way that makes the comparison difficult to follow. While the response covers the general topic, the lack of clarity and the inclusion of incorrect data mean that the main features are not effectively reported or compared.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs, but the logical progression of ideas is weak. The use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or misused, such as the transition 'In the next 2 decade it escalated up to 8,009,185 fallowed by the year 2000.' The referencing is frequently unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the relationship between the years and the specific district data. The overall structure lacks a clear focus, and the connection between sentences is often disjointed, which hinders the flow of information.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and contains several errors in word choice and spelling. Examples include 'residence' used instead of 'residents', 'populance' instead of 'population', and 'fallowed' instead of 'followed'. The student struggles to use precise terminology to describe statistical changes, relying on repetitive and sometimes inaccurate phrasing. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to convey the data with the necessary precision required for an Academic Task 1 response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('the table chart showed', 'the population recorded'), incorrect tense usage, and awkward sentence construction. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after periods and incorrect capitalization. While some simple sentences are understandable, the attempt at more complex structures often leads to errors that impede clarity. The frequency of these errors is high, which significantly affects the overall quality of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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