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 provides data on changes in the total population of New York city from 1800 to 2000 and changes in the population of the five districts of the city in the same peroid of time.The data given in numbers.
At a glance,the population were highly recorded in the year of 2000 in New York in contrast,in same year as percentage of total population manhattan was lowest in list.
In New York the population were stadily raisen with the flow of time such as in 1800 the population was 79,216, in 1900,3,437,202 and in 2000,8,009,185 respectively.
In Manhattan the highest population was recorded in 2000 with 1,538,096 but in percentage this was lowest with only 19%.In next given two years the population was 1,850,093 in 1900 with 54% of total percentage and 60,515 with 76%of total percentage.
In others district population was again raisen with flow of time 18,701 in 1800 with 24% of total percentage and it was lowest population.1,587,109 in 1900 with 46% and 6,471,089 in 2000 with highest number of total population with nearly 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 cover the main features of the tables, outlining the overall population growth from 1800 to 2000 and comparing Manhattan with the other districts. However, there are significant factual errors regarding the data. For instance, the student states, "In Manhattan the highest population was recorded in 2000 with 1,538,096 but in percentage this was lowest with only 19%," but misinterprets the peak population for Manhattan which actually occurred in 1900 (1,850,093). Furthermore, the overview is rather weak, and some comparisons are confused or lack precision. Despite these data misinterpretations, the response addresses the prompt's main data sets, earning a band score of 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organized into paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific districts. However, the logical progression is hindered by poor referencing and mechanical cohesive devices, such as "At a glance,the population were highly recorded" and repetitive transitional phrases like "with the flow of time." Paragraphing is also erratic, with sentences run together awkwardly. Cohesive devices are frequently overused or inaccurate, leading to a choppy and somewhat disjointed reading experience. This matches the characteristics of Band 5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, heavily relying on basic terms such as "population," "percentage," and "district." There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as "population were highly recorded" instead of "population figures were significantly higher" and "others district" instead of "other districts." Spelling and word formation errors also appear, such as "stadily raisen" instead of "steadily risen." The lexical range is minimally adequate for conveying basic numerical data, but frequent inaccuracies place it firmly at Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures. Most sentences are simple or attempt complex structures that result in severe errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ("the population were... raisen") and incorrect prepositional usage. Punctuation is also problematic, with missing spaces after commas and run-on phrasing. Errors are frequent and often cause some difficulty for the reader in parsing the exact meaning, aligning with the Band 5 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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