Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-15
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 presents the information of changes in total population of New york city between the years 1800 to 2000 . Additionally , the second and third tables represents changes in the population of five distinct districts of the city over the same period .
Overall , Population have been rapidly increasing in the new york city , in contrast Manhattan district is observed that it follows slight growth in population in comparison with other four districts although the remaining districts are observed rapid increase in population over time.
To begin with , in the first table we can clearly observe that population increased very rapidly from the year 1800 to 1900 . However the population got increased five times more than previous count which is tremendous change in the growth of population .
Moreover , We can see clearly in the second table that manhattan district have decent growth in the population which is 76% in the year 1800 . 54% in the year 1900 and in the year 2000 it got increase by 19% . whereas the third table shows that other districts namely Brooklyn , Bronx,Queensand Staten Island follows rapid change in the population which increased very much between the years 1900 to 2000 that is 46% to 81% which is tremendous growth .
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 student attempts to address all parts of the prompt by summarising the total population data for New York City as well as the breakdown for Manhattan versus the other districts between 1800 and 2000. However, the data handling contains significant inaccuracies. For example, the student writes that in 2000 Manhattan 'got increase by 19%', whereas the table clearly shows that Manhattan accounted for 19% of the total population that year, having fallen from 1,850,093 to 1,538,096. This misinterpretation of percentages and absolute figures shows a weak grasp of the visual data. Furthermore, the overview is somewhat simplistic and inaccurate regarding Manhattan's trajectory. Because of the clear data misreadings and lack of precise reporting on the main trends, this falls under Band 5.0 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, moving to an overall summary, and then breaking down the specific tables. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with', 'However', and 'Moreover', although they are sometimes used mechanically or inappropriately given the contrasting relationships in the data. Paragraphing is attempted, but some sentences are overly fragmented or repetitive. The progression of ideas becomes slightly blurred in the body paragraphs due to imprecise referencing and clunky transitions. Overall, the structural framework is visible, but the execution of logical links and referencing is flawed, aligning with Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including words like 'population', 'districts', 'tremendous', and 'growth'. However, there are frequent inappropriate word choices and collocations, such as 'got increased five times more' instead of 'increased fivefold', and 'follows rapid change' instead of 'experienced rapid growth'. Spelling and word-form errors are present, such as capitalization issues ('New york', 'manhattan', 'Queensand'). The vocabulary lacks the precision required for higher bands, but it is minimally adequate to convey basic concepts, fitting a Band 5.0 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Population have been rapidly increasing', 'manhattan district have decent growth'), tense inconsistencies ('represents changes', 'is observed that it follows'), and awkward phrasing ('the population got increased'). Punctuation is also faulty, with unnecessary spaces before commas and periods throughout the text. While the meaning can generally be parsed, the high frequency of errors causes strain for the reader, placing the response firmly at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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