Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-28
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 describes the changes of population of New York City, Manhattan and other district in the years of 1800 to 2000.
In the the first table we show the population of New York City and its five district , in era 1800A.D, the citizen of New York City is almost 79216. However, in 1900 A.D, there was a massive increase in population, It's around 3 million. With the passage of time , in 2000A.D, the population count is more or less 8,009,185.
On the contrary side, in Manhattan, there had approximately population count around 76% in 1800A.D, and the population was around 60,515. But, in 2000A.D there was an enormous reduce in population count was 1,538,096, its around 19% as compare to New York City. For the reason that, there was a huge citizen migration to other districts . On the other hand, in other districts , the population count was 18,701, its more or less 24% , in the era 1800A.D. While in 2000A.D,
the citizen of New York, Manhattan move to other districts , cause of that there was a greatest increase in population is almost 6,471,089, its around 81%.
Consequently, in 1800A.D, New York City had more population count as compare to Manhattan and other districts. But in 2000A.D, the population of New York City increase, Manhattan and other districts population were decrease.
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 between Manhattan and other districts. However, there are significant inaccuracies in the interpretation of the data. For instance, you state that Manhattan experienced an 'enormous reduce' in population, but the data shows an increase from 60,515 to over 1.5 million. Furthermore, the claim that Manhattan and other districts' populations 'were decrease' in 2000 is factually incorrect based on the provided tables. The summary lacks a clear overview, and the misinterpretation of the figures hinders the clarity of the report.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical flow is frequently interrupted by confusing phrasing and inaccurate data reporting. While some cohesive devices are used, such as 'However', 'On the contrary side', and 'Consequently', they are often used incorrectly or do not logically connect the ideas. For example, 'On the contrary side' is used to introduce a comparison that is not inherently contradictory. The referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of the argument. Paragraphing is present but could be more effectively used to separate the overview from the specific data points.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. You rely heavily on basic terms like 'population count' and 'increase'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'enormous reduce' (should be 'enormous increase' or 'significant reduction') and 'citizen of New York' (should be 'residents' or 'population'). Some phrases are awkward, such as 'in the era 1800A.D'. To improve, you should focus on using more precise terminology related to data description, such as 'surged', 'declined', 'proportion', and 'accounted for'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the citizen... is almost', 'population... were decrease'), incorrect use of articles ('in the the first table'), and awkward sentence structures. While there is an attempt to use complex sentences, they are often faulty or punctuated incorrectly. For example, 'For the reason that, there was a huge citizen migration...' is a sentence fragment. Improving control over basic sentence construction and verb tenses is essential for achieving a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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