Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-13
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 above represent the data of New York city all five districts, Broken down by the proportion in Manhattan and rest of the five districts from year 1800 to 2000.
New York city population has significantly increased over the years. But Manhattan district population seem to be falling over the years where as the rest other districts population has gradually increased.
New York city population has risen over five time from 1800 to 1900 and over more than two times from 1900 to 2000 but Manhattan district Population has increased gradually over the course of two years before taking a drop in year 2000. But its proportion in total population has been gradually falling every year.
For the other districts The both population and their proportion in total population has risen significantly over the course of three years.
We can observe that People in Manhattan district are slowly migrating to the other parts of New York city or to the other parts of the country.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response attempts to summarise the data but fails to accurately report the figures provided in the tables. For instance, the claim that Manhattan's population has been 'falling over the years' is contradicted by the data, which shows an increase from 1800 to 1900. Furthermore, the description of the trends is vague, using phrases like 'over the course of three years' which does not reflect the 200-year timeframe. The response lacks a clear overview of the main trends and fails to make meaningful comparisons between the districts. The inclusion of personal speculation about migration patterns is inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 report, which should focus strictly on the provided data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organised into short paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as the repetitive use of 'But' to start sentences. Referencing is often unclear, particularly when referring to 'the rest other districts' or 'the course of three years'. The connection between the sentences is disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the development of the information. While there is an attempt at paragraphing, the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks the necessary flow to achieve a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. Basic terms like 'increased', 'falling', and 'population' are used throughout without variation. There are errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'risen over five time' instead of 'fivefold' or 'five times'. The phrasing 'Broken down by the proportion' is imprecise in this context. The student struggles to use more sophisticated vocabulary to describe trends, relying on simple descriptors that do not demonstrate the range required for higher bands. Spelling and grammatical errors in word forms also occasionally hinder the clarity of the message.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that affect readability. There are issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'Manhattan district population seem' (should be 'seems') and 'The both population... has risen' (should be 'The population... has risen'). Punctuation is inconsistent, with unnecessary capitalisation of words like 'Population' and 'People'. The range of sentence structures is very limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences. Complex structures are attempted but are often faulty, such as the opening sentence which lacks a clear main verb structure. These errors are frequent and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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