Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-16
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 charts compare to the population of New Yourk City between 1880 and 2000. The second chart give information about five different districts of the city such as Menhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens , Staten Island over the 20-years perio.
Overall, the percentage of population had increase New York Ciity over the period. It is noticible that while , Menhattan had less population in same period.
In term of, initial year New York City population was 79,276 in 1800 the year. While 10 year it was increase at 3,437,202 in the period . Moreover , it was rising at 8,009,185 in the 2000 period. Furthermore , other districts [ Brookly, Bronx, Queens , Staten Island] fast year were 18701 total 24% population.
1900 the year [redacted phone] totaly 46% IN THE Period. In addition it were increase at [redacted phone] in the 2000 81% over the flowing year.
Manhattan population at first, 60515 in the 1800 76% in the period. Howvwe 10 year it was decline at 54% population over the period. 2000 it was [redacted phone] population the percentage was 19% over the period.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The candidate attempts to cover the main features of the tables, noting the overall population growth of New York City and contrasting the changing proportions of Manhattan versus the other districts. However, there are significant inaccuracies in data transcription and understanding: the student writes "between 1880 and 2000" instead of 1800, misreads 1800 population figures (writing "79,276 in 1800 the year" and later confusing decades), and struggles to accurately report the percentages and figures provided in the visual data. The overview is very basic, and the relationship between the numbers is sometimes garbled. While the prompt's core datasets are touched upon, the lack of precision and inaccurate handling of dates and figures pulls the score down to Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text is divided into paragraphs, which provides a basic structural framework, but the logical progression within and between paragraphs is severely disrupted by poor sentence construction and mechanical linking devices. Phrases like "In term of, initial year" and "Howvwe 10 year" demonstrate awkward transitional attempts that do not clarify the argument. Referencing is frequently unclear (e.g., "other districts... fast year were 18701"), making it difficult to follow which data points correspond to which years or categories. Overall organization is weak, reflecting Band 4.5 to 5.0 characteristics, and cohesion is faulty throughout.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, relying heavily on simple terms like "population", "increase", and "district". There are numerous spelling errors and non-standard word formations, such as "Menhattan", "noticible", "totaly", and "flowing year" (likely meaning following). The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to data trends, but these attempts are marred by inaccurate word choice and severe spelling issues that occasionally impede communication. This performance aligns with a Band 4.5, warranting a score of 4.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The range of grammatical structures is very limited. Most sentences feature basic, flawed attempts at complex or compound forms, resulting in frequent errors in tense, preposition use, and subject-verb agreement (e.g., "the percentage of population had increase New York Ciity", "it were increase at"). Punctuation and word order are often erratic, creating heavy strain for the reader. Error-free sentences are extremely rare, placing the response squarely at Band 4.5, rounded to 4.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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