Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-22

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 illustrates that in the year 1800 to 2000 shows changes in the total population of new york city. The secong and theird tables illustrate changes in population of the five district of new york city over the same time period.

Overall, From 1800 to 2000 the population of new york city shows highest growth. The five district of new york city are:- Manhattan, brooklyn, bronx, queens, staten island.

In the year 1800 the population of new york city include 5 cities is 79,216.

In that 76% of the total population from manhattan city. This shows the highest growth of the city and other city has 24$ of total population. in 1900 we shows similar percentage of total population in manhattan city and other city. And these percentage are 54% and 46%.

Year 2000 the population of new year city 8,009,185. However, from this population 6,471,089 are from other district which are around 81% and 1,538,096 are from manhattan city which are around only 19%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarize the data but fails to provide a clear overview of the main trends. While it mentions the total population growth, it fails to adequately compare the five districts, instead grouping them into 'Manhattan' and 'other'. The data selection is limited and contains inaccuracies, such as the claim that 1900 showed a similar percentage to 1800. Furthermore, the response lacks a clear summary of the specific changes in the individual districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island), which were key parts of the prompt. The analysis is superficial and does not fully address the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow is weak. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes incorrect, such as the abrupt transition 'In that 76% of the total population from manhattan city'. The referencing is unclear, particularly when referring to 'other city' or 'other district' without defining which ones are included. The paragraphing is present but does not effectively group related information, making the progression of ideas feel disjointed and repetitive.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. The student relies on basic phrasing such as 'shows changes', 'highest growth', and 'total population' throughout the text. There are errors in word choice and form, such as 'secong' (spelling), 'theird' (spelling), and 'new year city' (likely a typo for New York). The range is insufficient to convey the data with precision, and the lack of variety in reporting verbs or comparative language hinders the overall quality of the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('the population... include', 'we shows'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward sentence construction ('In the year 1800 the population of new york city include 5 cities is 79,216'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of colons and capitalization of proper nouns like 'manhattan' and 'brooklyn'. The range of structures is limited to simple sentences, with very few attempts at complex grammatical forms.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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