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 changes in the population of New York city it's dictricts between 1800 to 2000.
Overall, the highest population seeing over these two countries.manhattan;s population share decline, while the other showed surge increased.
In terms of population in the year of 1800, the New York had 79,216 people .by 1900, this number of population jumped into 3,437,202. At the end of the year in 2000 it'srose to 8,009,185 percent.the manhattan held 60,515 residents (76% of the total) in the year of 1800.by 1900,it's grew to 1,850,093but their percentage dropped to 54%.by 2000, it;s fell down to 1,538,096 making up slightly less percentage of 19%.
The other districts had 18,701 people (46% of total) inn the year of 1800. In 1900,their population reached 1,587,109 (46% of the total).by 2000, its dramatically rose to 6,471,089 and the percentahe reached significantly 81% of total population.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to cover the main features of the tables, noting overall population growth and the changing proportions of Manhattan versus the other districts. However, there are significant data inaccuracies and omissions. For instance, the writer states that other districts had '46% of total' in 1800, whereas the table clearly shows 24%. Additionally, the final sentence contains a jumbled percentage ('percentahe reached significantly 81%'). Furthermore, the response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, coming in at 143 words, which directly impacts the thoroughness of the task coverage. Consequently, the task achievement is limited by these inaccuracies and under-length status.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response shows an attempt to structure the information with an introductory outline, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to Manhattan and the other districts. However, the progression is hindered by poor phrasing, punctuation errors, and erratic paragraph breaks. For example, sentences run together without proper spacing or capitalization, such as 'manhattan;s population share decline, while the other showed surge increased.' Cohesive devices are minimal or misused, and referencing is occasionally unclear, resulting in a somewhat disjointed reading experience that aligns with Band 5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with several awkward word choices and grammatical infelicities such as 'surge increased', 'jumped into', and 'fell down to'. There are also transcription and spelling issues like 'dictricts' and 'percentahe'. The range of vocabulary is barely adequate to describe the data, failing to demonstrate the flexibility or precision expected at higher bands. While the reader can generally understand the intent, the frequent lexical errors and lack of sophisticated phrasing keep this criterion at Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The text is marred by frequent errors in tense, article usage, punctuation, and word formation (e.g., 'The table changes in the population of New York city it's dictricts', 'it;s fell down'). Complex sentence structures are attempted, but they are frequently faulty or awkwardly constructed. Punctuation is particularly problematic, with missing spaces after periods and incorrect use of semicolons and apostrophes. The high frequency of grammatical errors causes noticeable difficulty for the reader.
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