Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-25
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 provide comparison about the changes in the total population of New York City in the time of two centuries, with its distribution of the population to its five districts-Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island in percentages over the same period.
Overall, while the citizens of New York City was growing dramatically, the once dominant Manhattan has lost most of its population to the other four districts.
In the second table, Manhattan was noted to have large proportion of the residents at 76%, approximately 60515 people in the first year of the survey. Despite this, the locals have started to shift to other places there so declining the share, even reaching the point that in 2000 it was only 19% having [redacted phone] citizens, lesser then the previous century that had half of the locals the total count reaching [redacted phone].
Meanwhile, the other four districts had become more urban in that period, lastly gaining large share of the population of the city. In the eighteens the four combined only had 18701 residents at 24%. Then it had had grown significantly to 46% that had [redacted phone]. However the following year had shown even more outstanding report of reaching [redacted phone] citizens going up to 81 percentage of the whole population.
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, including the total population growth and the shift in distribution from Manhattan to the other districts. However, the analysis is hampered by significant inaccuracies in reporting the figures. For example, the text states Manhattan had 60,515 people in 1800, whereas the table shows 60,515 as the total population, not the Manhattan figure. Furthermore, the description of the other four districts is confusing and mathematically inconsistent with the provided data. While the overview is clear, the lack of precision in interpreting the tables prevents a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific data points. Cohesive devices such as 'while', 'despite this', and 'meanwhile' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and unclear referencing, particularly when discussing the 'other four districts'. The transition between the general population trends and the specific district data could be smoother to improve the overall flow of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, though there is some repetition and occasional misuse of terms. Phrases like 'outstanding report' and 'the time of two centuries' are slightly unnatural in an academic context. There are also errors in word choice, such as 'lesser then' (should be 'fewer than') and 'eighteens' (referring to the 1800s). While the student attempts to use a range of descriptive language, the inaccuracies in reporting the data and some awkward collocations limit the effectiveness of the lexical range.
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. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('citizens... was growing'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward sentence construction ('so declining the share'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the misuse of 'then' instead of 'than' and the inconsistent handling of numerical data points detract from the overall accuracy. A greater focus on proofreading for basic grammatical errors would significantly improve the quality of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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