Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-02
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)
As we all know the population of New York is increasing day by day. As we can clearly see in the given table which was 1800 to 2000. Increasing in population have befinits like more house are built, more workers and well on other hand the disadvantages of over population leads to unemployment, traffic, high home rent and over construction.
Whereas in Manhattan from the year 1800 to 2000 we can see the huge decrease in the population. However in other districts like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten island the big increase of population was seen . The increase in the people in New york was found in 2000 was a big development.
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 meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. Furthermore, the content is largely irrelevant; the task requires a summary of data from the provided tables, but the student includes personal opinions about the benefits and disadvantages of population growth, which is not required for an Academic Task 1. The summary of the data itself is inaccurate, as it claims a 'huge decrease' in Manhattan's population, whereas the table shows a significant increase from 60,515 in 1800 to 1,537,195 in 2000. The response fails to report the main features or make relevant comparisons.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is very short and lacks a logical structure. While there is a basic attempt to separate the introduction from the body, the transition between the irrelevant personal commentary and the data summary is abrupt. Cohesive devices are either missing or used incorrectly, such as the misuse of 'Whereas' to start a paragraph that does not contrast with the preceding one. The lack of paragraphing and the limited length make it difficult to follow a clear progression of ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is very limited and repetitive. The student relies on basic terms like 'increasing', 'big', and 'development'. There are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'Increasing in population have befinits' (should be 'Population growth has benefits') and 'high home rent' (should be 'high housing costs'). The range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands, and the spelling of 'befinits' is incorrect.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that impede clarity. Examples include 'which was 1800 to 2000' (a fragmented clause), 'Increasing in population have befinits' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'The increase in the people in New york was found in 2000 was a big development' (awkward and ungrammatical sentence structure). The range of structures is very limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences with poor control over complex syntax. Punctuation is also inconsistent throughout the text.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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