Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-14
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 tables demonstrates the changes in population of five districts of New York City from 1800 to 2000.
Overall, the population of the city shows some major differences in the three years. Other districts resulted in a dramatic change in the year 2000. However there were some other noticeable changes too that are desribed below.
The first table illustrates an overall population of New York City, that is 70,216 in 1800, 3,437,202 in 1900 and 8,009,185 in 2000. The number of citizens in Manhattan slighlty fluctuated from 1,850,093 to 1,538,096 during the years 1900 and 2000, whereas there were only 60,515 in 1800. The percentage went from 76 to 54 and then 19 during these years.
Other districts including Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island showed a gradual rise in the number of people. In the first two years, it rose from 18,701 to 1,587,109 and then it indicates a major increase in 2000 that is 6,471,089. There was a significant increase in the percentage that is 24% in 1800, 46% in the next year and 81% in 2000.
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 presented in the tables, noting the total population growth of New York City and providing specific figures for Manhattan as well as the combined remaining districts. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and fails to break down the individual populations of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island separately, as implied by the prompt. There is an attempt to make comparisons between Manhattan and the other districts through percentages, but the grouping of four distinct boroughs into a single category limits the depth of the overview. Key data points such as the 1800, 1900, and 2000 figures are correctly extracted, but the overall development of ideas is slightly constrained by the lack of granular detail for each district. Overall, it addresses the task adequately but misses some finer comparative elements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is structured into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs, establishing a basic organizational structure. However, the logical progression is hindered by abrupt transitions and vague phrasing, such as 'Other districts resulted in a dramatic change' and 'there were some other noticeable changes too that are desribed below.' Cohesive devices are used mechanically and sometimes inaccurately, such as the misuse of 'whereas' and the transitional links between sentences. Paragraphing is present, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs lacks seamless flow, making it occasionally difficult to follow the relationships between the different districts and years.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with domain-specific terms such as 'population,' 'districts,' 'percentage,' and 'fluctuated.' However, the range is limited, and there are noticeable lexical errors, such as 'The tables demonstrates' (plural/singular agreement error) and 'slighlty' (spelling error). The writer attempts less common phrases like 'gradual rise' and 'major increase,' but overall, the lexical choice lacks precision and flexibility. Repetition of basic structures and vocabulary prevents the response from achieving a higher band, though the intended meaning remains generally clear despite the errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses ('that is 70,216 in 1800') and contrastive structures ('whereas there were only'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement ('The tables demonstrates'), prepositions ('in the years 1900 and 2000' instead of 'between'), and awkward phrasing ('that is 24%'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur regularly and restrict the proportion of error-free sentences, placing the response firmly in the mid-range for grammatical control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.