Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-19
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 given three tables depicts the changes in the population of new york city from year 1800 to 2000. These tables shows the growth in the population of five main districts of New York City in America respectively :- Mahattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten island over the given period of time.
Well, the incliment of around three lakhs people were seen from 1800 to 1900 with 76% inclination in the population whereas for other districts had seen of 24%. After that a huge increment was seen in the total population of new york city which was approx 4 lakhs. These were But as if we noticed the growth pattern in each district it was noticed that Manhattan decreased by 19% in year 2000 whereas other districts including Brooklyn,bronx,queens and state island have surprisingly seen the rapid increase of around 81% which served as greater part in inclining the population of New York City.
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 fails to adequately address the task. While it attempts to summarize the data, the information provided is inaccurate and confusing. For instance, the claim that Manhattan decreased by 19% in 2000 is not supported by the provided tables, and the use of 'lakhs' is inappropriate for an international IELTS exam. The response lacks a clear overview of the main trends, such as the overall growth of New York City and the shifting population distribution between the districts. The analysis is fragmented and fails to make meaningful comparisons between the districts over the two-century period, resulting in a failure to cover the requirements of the prompt effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The organization of the response is weak. The use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or misused, such as the awkward transition 'These were But as if we noticed'. Paragraphing is present but does not logically separate the overview from the supporting details. The progression of ideas is difficult to follow because the data points are presented in a confusing manner, making it hard for the reader to identify the relationship between the total population and the individual district figures. Referencing is often unclear, which hinders the overall flow of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and contains several errors in word choice and spelling. Terms like 'incliment' and 'inclination' are used incorrectly in place of 'increase' or 'growth'. The use of 'lakhs' is a regionalism that is not standard in IELTS Academic writing. Furthermore, the capitalization of proper nouns like 'new york city', 'bronx', and 'queens' is inconsistent, and 'Mahattan' is misspelled. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to convey the data with precision, and the errors occasionally impede the reader's understanding of the intended meaning.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response relies on a limited range of sentence structures, many of which are grammatically incorrect. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement, such as 'The given three tables depicts' and 'These tables shows'. The sentence structure is often disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph, where the phrasing 'These were But as if we noticed' is incoherent. Punctuation is also problematic, with improper use of colons and capitalization. While some simple sentences are understandable, the lack of control over basic grammatical rules significantly impacts the quality of the writing.
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