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 first table below demonstrate the incremental of population of New York City taking into the account the year fro 1800 to 2000. In addition the second and third table illustrates the number of population changes of the five districts (Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Staten) during the respective duration of time.
Overall, the chart visualise the population of New York city going the upward trend throughout the years mentioned below. The Manhattan holds the highest rate of total population than the rest of the other districts. However, since the 1900 the percentage starts to drop whereas it shows the increase in rate of population to the other districts.
The population of Manhattan were at 60,515 during the year 1800 which is 76% and the other districts hold the rest of the 24%.
Since the beginning of Industrial revolution from 1900, the diversification of population throughout the other districts demonstrates that the growing number of population increases drastically and In the year 2000, the percentage change which stands at 81% (other districts) results in population being decentralised and work opportunities that is being offered by the other districts.
In contrast, New York City is the largest city and people tends to migrate as there are huge number of employment opening as well as the community offers good standard of living. Therefore, throughout the year the percentage kept on rising.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the data, such as the overall population growth and the shift in distribution from Manhattan to other districts. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the statement that Manhattan 'holds the highest rate' is vague, and the interpretation of the percentage data is occasionally confusing or inaccurate (e.g., the claim that 81% of the population in 2000 was in 'other districts' is not clearly supported by the provided tables). While the main trends are identified, the lack of precision in reporting specific figures and the inclusion of external speculation about 'work opportunities' and 'standard of living'—which are not in the data—detract from the task achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and unclear referencing. While cohesive devices like 'In addition', 'Overall', and 'In contrast' are used, they are sometimes applied mechanically or inappropriately. The transition between the general population trend and the district-specific data is abrupt. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally confusing, such as the mention of 'the years mentioned below' when the data is presented in tables above. The structure is sufficient to follow the writer's intent, but the flow of ideas lacks sophistication.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choice and incorrect collocations, such as 'incremental of population' instead of 'increase in population', and 'the chart visualise' instead of 'the tables illustrate'. The phrase 'going the upward trend' is also non-standard. While the writer attempts to use more academic vocabulary like 'diversification' and 'decentralised', these are used with limited accuracy. The range is sufficient to communicate the main points, but the errors in word choice are noticeable throughout.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Subject-verb agreement is a recurring issue, such as 'the first table below demonstrate' and 'people tends to migrate'. There are also errors in article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'taking into the account' and 'during the respective duration of time'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction often feels forced.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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