Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-24
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 following 1st table provides us the data about population changes of New York city from the year 1800 to 2000. While the remaining two tables provide us information about New York city's districts population changes in the same period from 1800 to 2000.
From the 1st table, we can see that it contains two columns describing the overall population changes. The left column contains years and the right column contains different populations which has increased at a large scale over the few years like 79,216 in 1800 and covering almost 7,929,969 more people in the next two years.
While on the other hand, if we weigh up the information about population changes in districts, we come to know that in Manhattan, population significantly decreased from 76% to 19% in the following three years. What's more collectively in other five districts, population apparently increased reaching above 80% which is relatively a large number.
In conclusion, these tables provide us overall information about population changes in New York including its famous districts.
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 accurately report the data provided in the tables. For instance, you state the population increased by '7,929,969 more people in the next two years', which is a misinterpretation of the data spanning two centuries. Furthermore, the description of the district population changes is inaccurate; you mention a decrease from 76% to 19% in 'three years', whereas the data covers a 200-year period. The summary lacks a clear overview of the main trends, such as the overall growth of the city and the shifting distribution of the population across the five boroughs. To improve, ensure you carefully read the timeframes and labels provided in the charts.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak due to the inaccurate interpretation of the data. While you use some cohesive devices like 'While on the other hand' and 'In conclusion', the transitions between ideas feel mechanical and do not effectively link the data points. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when discussing the 'three years' or 'two years', which confuses the reader regarding the timeline of the events described. Improving the logical flow requires a more accurate grouping of the data and a clearer distinction between the overall city growth and the specific district trends.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. You rely on basic phrases such as 'provides us the data' and 'population changes'. There is an attempt to use some descriptive language, such as 'significantly decreased' and 'collectively', but these are undermined by the factual inaccuracies in the content. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise terminology related to data description, such as 'fluctuated', 'accounted for', or 'proportion', and ensure that your word choices accurately reflect the trends shown in the tables.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, 'provides us the data' is slightly unnatural; 'provides data on' would be better. You also have issues with article usage ('the 1st table' instead of 'the first table') and prepositional phrases. Some sentences are awkward, such as 'covering almost 7,929,969 more people in the next two years', which lacks grammatical clarity. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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