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 table below present changes in the compelete economy of New york city between 1800 to 2000. The second and the last table display changes in the population of the five districts of the city over the same period.
Overall, in the New york city all five districts has show different population from 1800 to 2000.New york city population was increased over the period, on the other hand manthattan have different percentage of total population, But manhattan had a good percentage of total people at the starting point , now they decreased over the period.
New york city during year of 1800 started figure of population was 79,216, and in 1900 that population was 3,437,202 it increased at that period. In last year we have data in 2000 they had 8,009,185 the population was rise.In second county that called Manhattan had 76% of total population at starting year like 1800 and the economy was 60,515, furthermore during 1900 we had 1,850,096 and the percentage was 54% and the last year which is 2000 that period had total number of poplation had 1,538,096 and 19%, percentage was fell down day by day.
Other districts( Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, staten island ) other sistricts had improve their percentage over the period. For example their started point 18,701 and they have 24%, in 1900 population was 1,587,109 and the percentage was 46% now we had last year in 2000 population was 6,471,089 percentage was reached at 81%.
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 candidate attempts to address the task by reporting data from the tables regarding the population of New York City and its districts between 1800 and 2000. However, there are notable misinterpretations of the data, such as confusing population figures with economic data ("the compelete economy", "the economy was 60,515"). While an overview is attempted, it lacks clarity and precision. The selection of data is somewhat disjointed, focusing heavily on individual data points rather than synthesising the broader trends effectively. Furthermore, some figures contain transcription inaccuracies. Consequently, the response meets the basic requirements of addressing the prompt, but the limitations in data interpretation place it at Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is divided into paragraphs, which helps structure the text visually. However, the logical progression is weak, and the overall coherence suffers from abrupt transitions and repetitive phrasing ("in the New york city all five districts has show different population", "we had last year in 2000"). Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately, with excessive reliance on conjunctions like "and" to string clauses together. Referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to follow the relationships between ideas and data points. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion requires significant improvement. This performance aligns with the Band 5.0 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with frequent reliance on simple terms like "population", "percentage", and "change". There are also significant semantic inaccuracies, notably using the word "economy" instead of population or data (e.g., "compelete economy", "the economy was 60,515"). Spelling errors are present throughout the text, including proper nouns and common words ("compelete", "New york", "manthattan", "sistricts", "staten island"). While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the general topic, the noticeable errors and limited range restrict the score to Band 4.5, rounded to Band 5.0 based on general performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple or poorly connected compound sentences. Attempts at complex structures are often faulty and lack control over tense consistency and agreement (e.g., "population was increased", "manhattan had a good percentage of total people at the starting point , now they decreased"). Punctuation errors are common, such as spaces before commas and periods. Frequent grammatical errors cause distraction and require the reader to re-read sections to grasp the intended meaning. This falls securely within the Band 5.0 range.
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.