Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-09
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 shows changes in the total population of new York city from 1800 to 2000. And the second table shows change in Manhattan in three consecutive centuries. At last table, It shows population change in other districts like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island in 1800, 1900, 2000. In the year 1800, The total change in population in new York is 79,216. In 79,216 population change, 60,515 population which is 76% of total change was contributed by Manhattan. And the remaining 24% of change was of other districts like Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island like 18,701. In year 1900, 3,437,202 was total change population in New York. total 1,850,093 which is 54% of change was in Manhattan. and remaining 1,587,109 which is 46% was done in other districts. In the last year 2000 year, Total 8,009,185 was change in population of New York. 19% and 81% change was contributed by Manhattan and other districts respectively and numbers are 1,538,096 and 6,471,089.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the data, such as the total population growth and the shifting proportions between Manhattan and the other districts. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical, relying heavily on listing figures rather than synthesizing trends. For instance, the report describes the data for each year in isolation rather than highlighting the overall trajectory of growth or the significant demographic shift from Manhattan to the outer boroughs over the two centuries. While the task is addressed, the lack of a clear overview and the tendency to simply repeat numbers from the table limits the depth of the response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organized chronologically, which provides a basic logical structure. However, the paragraphing is non-existent, as the entire response is a single block of text. Cohesive devices are used in a very repetitive and mechanical way, such as starting multiple sentences with 'In the year...' or 'And...'. There is a lack of variety in linking words, and the transition between the general city population and the specific district data is abrupt. To improve, you should group related information into distinct paragraphs and use a wider range of cohesive devices to connect ideas more fluidly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'total change in population' and 'was contributed by' are used repeatedly, which makes the writing feel monotonous. There is little attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'surged,' 'accounted for,' 'diminished,' or 'proportionally.' Furthermore, there are issues with capitalization (e.g., 'new York city') and awkward phrasing, such as 'At last table, It shows.' Expanding your range of synonyms and focusing on accurate collocations would significantly improve your score in this area.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include incorrect article usage ('In the last year 2000 year'), subject-verb agreement problems, and awkward sentence construction ('In 79,216 population change, 60,515 population which is 76% of total change was contributed by Manhattan'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and capitalization of proper nouns. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence structure prevents the writing from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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