Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-12
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 represents the information about the changes in the New York City total population between 1800 and 2000, as well as the second and third table shows the changes in the population of the five different districts of the cities such as Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island in the same time period.
Overall, it is clear that the total population of a New york City had increased from 1800 to 2000. Meanwhile the population of diffrent districts of a city suchas Manhattan had decreased meanwhile, in the other districts like Brooklyn ,Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, the population has been increased.
In1800 the total population of a New York City was nearly 80,000and the population of the Manhattan district was almost 60,000. later, in the year between 1900 and 2000, the total population of a city had increased but the population of Manhattan fluctuated.
In the other districts the population had grow rapidly. In 1800 the population of a city was approximately 80,000 and the population of other districts except Manhattan was around 19000. Similarly,in the year between 1800 and 2000, the population of a districts had risen and become almost 6,500,000 and the New York city population became more than 8,000,000.
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 identifies the main trends, such as the overall population growth and the contrast between Manhattan and the other districts. However, the reporting of data is inconsistent and inaccurate. For instance, the claim that Manhattan's population 'decreased' is not fully supported by the provided data, which shows fluctuations rather than a consistent decline. Furthermore, the figures cited (e.g., '19000' for other districts in 1800) do not align with the provided tables. The summary lacks precision in comparing the specific growth rates of the five districts, and the data selection is somewhat haphazard, failing to provide a clear, analytical overview of the changes over the two-century period.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. While there is an attempt to use cohesive devices like 'Meanwhile' and 'Similarly', they are often used incorrectly or repetitively. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when referring to 'the other districts' without specifying which ones are being grouped. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt, and the lack of clear signposting makes it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison of data across the different time periods.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. Phrases such as 'total population of a New York City' and 'population of a districts' are used repeatedly, and there are frequent errors in word choice and collocation (e.g., 'population has been increased' instead of 'has increased'). The range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate precision; the student relies on basic descriptors like 'increased' and 'decreased' rather than more specific academic terms like 'surged', 'plummeted', or 'remained relatively stable'. Spelling errors, such as 'diffrent' and 'suchas', also detract from the overall quality.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are persistent issues with article usage ('a New York City', 'a city'), subject-verb agreement ('table shows', 'population of a districts'), and tense consistency ('population has been increased'). While there is an attempt to use complex sentence structures, they are often marred by errors in punctuation and word order. The misuse of 'meanwhile' as a conjunction and the lack of proper sentence boundaries (e.g., 'In1800') indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of basic sentence construction.
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