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 given table illustrates the fluctuations occurred in the total number of individuals in a specific city between 3 centuries from 1800 to 2000. The other table signifies the population changes in five separate parts of the city such as Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten island in the same time period.
Overall, total population of New York has increased significantly within this period. Moreover, in Manhattan and all other five districts, a significant rise is observed.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response is severely under-length, containing only 78 words against the required minimum of 150 words. Because of this, it fails to fully satisfy the task requirements. While the student does provide an introductory statement and a brief overview noting the overall population growth in New York and its districts, key data points, figures, and detailed comparisons between Manhattan and the other districts are completely missing. To achieve a higher band, the writer must extend the response by incorporating specific data from the tables, highlighting major trends, and making relevant comparisons across the specified years.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text is organized into two brief paragraphs consisting of an introduction and an overview. Cohesive devices are used in a basic manner, such as 'Overall' and 'Moreover', which helps establish a rudimentary structure. However, because the body of the essay is missing, progression and logical development cannot be fully demonstrated. Paragraphing is attempted, but the overall structure remains too underdeveloped to show flexible paragraphing or cohesive control beyond a basic level.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally adequate and relevant to the task, featuring phrases such as 'fluctuations occurred', 'total population', 'significant rise', and 'time period'. However, there are awkward collocations, such as 'fluctuations occurred in the total number of individuals' (population usually fluctuates rather than individuals fluctuating in this context). The range of vocabulary is limited due to the short length of the text, preventing the display of a wider range of less common lexical items.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates control over simple and some complex sentence structures, such as 'The first given table illustrates the fluctuations occurred...'. There is a minor grammatical error with the unneeded past participle in 'the fluctuations occurred' (which should be 'that occurred' or simply 'fluctuations'). Despite this error, the grammar does not impede communication, and the sentence forms used are reasonably accurate. However, the limited output restricts a comprehensive assessment of a wide grammatical range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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