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 first table illustrates the changes in the population of the New York City and other two tables depict changes of five districts form 1800 to 2000.
Overall, it is crystal clear that year 2000 had the maximum population , whereas other districts in 1800 had the minimum proportion.
It is apparent from the table that in New York City in all five districts , year 2000 had highest number of population around 8,009,185. In 1900, it was 3,437,202 , whereas populace of 79,216 were in 1800. In Manhattan, there are several changes in population among all years. In 1800, it decline to 76% and 54% in 1900 , whereas it was only 19% in 2000.
Moving further, in Brooklyn , Bronx , Queens , Staten Islands , year 2000 had the maximum number of population for 6,471,089 at 81%. In 1900, it accounted for 46% and about 24% changes in 1800.
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 attempts to summarise the data but fails to accurately report the main features. The interpretation of the tables is flawed; for example, the claim that Manhattan's population 'declined to 76%' in 1800 is confusing and does not align with the provided data. The overview is vague and lacks a clear, accurate summary of the trends. Furthermore, the grouping of the four districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) into a single category is an oversimplification that ignores the specific data points provided for each, leading to a failure to highlight key comparisons effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical progression is weak. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as the transition 'Moving further' which does not logically connect the preceding paragraph to the next. Referencing is also problematic; it is often unclear which specific data points the percentages refer to, making the overall flow disjointed and difficult to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. Words like 'maximum', 'minimum', and 'changes' are used frequently without variation. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'populace of 79,216 were in 1800' and 'highest number of population', which are not natural English expressions. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to convey the data with the precision required for an Academic Task 1 response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in articles ('the year 2000', 'the New York City'), subject-verb agreement ('it decline'), and prepositional usage. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, these persistent errors and the lack of control over complex sentence structures limit the score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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