Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-18
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 charts illustrate changes in total population of New York city from 1800 to 2000. While, second and third table chart depicts variation in the inhabitants of five districts of city for same period.
It is evident that, Manhattan contributes 76% of the total population in 1880 but by the 2000 it decline upto 19%. Whereas, total population by other district shared by with 81% by the end of period.
In New York, population among five district gradually increased in 1800 there were 79,216 people, followed by 1900 there are 3,437,202, and by the end of period it has 8,009,185 individuals.
In 1800, population in Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island constitute 24%, comparing to Manhatten it has 76% of total population. After century population in manhattan decline by 22%, population in other districts increased by 22%. By 2000, Majority of population is accounted for 81% for other districts.
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 student attempts to address the prompt by summarizing population changes in New York City and its districts between 1800 and 2000. Key data points are mentioned, such as the overall population growth and the shift in proportions between Manhattan and the other districts (e.g., Manhattan dropping from 76% to 19%). However, there is a minor factual misreading in the text: the student writes '1880' instead of '1800'. Furthermore, the response falls just short of the minimum word count requirement at 149 words, which results in a penalty for task completion under the descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is divided into short paragraphs, attempting to separate general population trends from district-specific breakdowns. However, the logical progression is hindered by choppy sentence structures and repetitive transitional phrases like 'In 1800' and 'By 2000'. Cohesive devices are used mechanically ('While, second and third table', 'Whereas'), and referencing is occasionally confused, making it difficult to fully follow the comparison between Manhattan and the other districts.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic description, incorporating terms like 'inhabitants', 'variation', and 'proportion'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'total population by other district shared by with 81%' and 'population in manhattan decline by 22%'. Spelling and morphological forms also show lapses, such as 'Manhatten'. The lexical range remains limited and repetitive throughout.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'population among five district gradually increased in 1800 there were... followed by 1900 there are...'. Punctuation is also misused, including unnecessary comma splices ('While, second and third table chart depicts...'). These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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