Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-12
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 compares data about the total number of people of new York city between 1800 to 2000 where as the second and third table provide information about shift in the resident of five districts of the city over the same time.
Overall, In 1800 the total population was 79,216 in New York city while Manhattan covered 76% of total number of people and other district has only 24% residents. In 1900 the total number of residents was 3,437,202 by comparison Manhattan and out of city has minor change throughout the period.
Turning to the details , Manhattan has highest number of population with 76% in 1800 while other city has the lowest data with only 24%. Similarly, In 1900 the total number of people in Manhattan and out of Manhattan remain almost stable over the period by 54% and 46%. By 2000 Manhattan residents crashed to 19% where as other districts number of population rocked to 81%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers parts of the task by identifying some general trends and figures for Manhattan compared to other districts across the years 1800, 1900, and 2000. However, the data selected is incomplete and lacks a comprehensive overview of all districts over the entire 200-year span. The student mentions Manhattan and 'other districts' or 'out of city' rather than fully addressing the individual breakdown of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island provided in the second and third tables. Consequently, key comparisons are missed or overly generalised, placing the response around Band 5.0 in terms of task coverage and data reporting.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organized into paragraphs with an introduction, overview, and body paragraph format. However, the logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and confusing references, such as 'out of city' and 'other districts'. Cohesive devices are mechanically used ('Turning to the details', 'Similarly'), and paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of information lacks clarity. For instance, jumping between percentages and years without clear signposting makes the information difficult to follow, earning a Band 5.0 for coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The lexical resource is limited and adequate only for basic communication. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'crashed' and 'rocked', but these are used somewhat informally or inaccurately in context. There are notable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'shift in the resident' instead of 'shifts in the number of residents', and 'total number of people of new York city'. Spelling and capitalization errors also appear, such as 'new York' and 'highest number of population' instead of 'largest population', fitting a Band 5.0 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many of the complex forms contain grammatical errors. For example, the opening sentence is a run-on structure with a conjunction error ('where as' instead of 'whereas'). There are frequent errors in article usage, subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'other district has only 24% residents'), and prepositions. While meaning is generally retrievable, the density of grammatical errors causes distraction and difficulty for the reader, which aligns with the Band 5.0 criteria.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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