Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-17
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 illustrates changes in the overall population of New York city while, the second and third table depicts changes in the population of five districts of New York. All changes are shown between 1800 and 2000.
Overall, New York city has the highest population, followed by the other districts of the city which has the second highest figure. While, Manhattan is on the lowest of the population.
New York has shown a significant increase the number of people over years which reaches to the highest figure in 2000. On the other hand, other districts like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens has the lowest percentage of people in 1800 which significantly increased in 2000, accounting for 81%.
Secondly, Manhattan has the lowest of population in early years but s
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5
The response attempts to summarize the tables, noting the overall population growth in New York City and mentioning figures for Manhattan and other districts. However, the response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, stopping abruptly mid-sentence at 128 words. Furthermore, there are inaccuracies in interpretation, such as stating that 'New York city has the highest population, followed by the other districts', which confuses the city total with its individual components. Because the task is incomplete and under-length, it can only be partially addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is divided into very brief paragraphs, though the text cuts off abruptly at the end. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or incorrectly, such as starting the second paragraph with 'Overall, New York city has the highest population, followed by the other districts of the city which has the second highest figure' and using 'While, Manhattan is on the lowest of the population' as a fragment. Progression is difficult to follow due to the incomplete nature of the writing and mechanical linking words.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'Manhattan is on the lowest of the population' and 'significant increase the number of people'. Some numerical and statistical terms are attempted ('percentage', 'figure'), but the limited range and grammatical awkwardness restrict the score. Spelling is generally accurate, but vocabulary control remains at a basic level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The text displays a very limited range of sentence structures, and several sentences contain basic grammatical errors or missing prepositions, such as 'increase the number of people over years which reaches to the highest figure'. Punctuation is also misused, as seen in the comma splice in the first sentence ('...New York city while, the second...'). The response ends with an incomplete sentence ('...but s'), demonstrating a lack of control over sentence completion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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