Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-20

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 table illustrates changes in the population of New York City from 1800 to 2000 .While the other two tables demonstrate changes in the population of five districts of the city over the same period.

Overall, A glance shows New York City had lowest population in 1800. moreover its height in 2000 acroos all five districts of the city. While in comparison of districts population. Manhattan had heightest number of people from total population in 1800 . However lowest in 2000. on the other hand, other four districts had lowest percentage of people in 1800 moreover highest in the 2000. Nevertheless, in 1900 all districts approximatly had same number of people with the difference of 10 percent in Manhattan and others.

However, in 1800 New York had 79,216 people and its increased to 3,[redacted phone] in 1900. Moreover popullation is rockted in next daceds and reached to 8,009,185.while in terms of district popullation Manhattan had highest number of of people with 76% in 1800 while other districts had lowest popullation in 1800 with 24 percent. Nevertheless other districts had highest popullation in 2000 with 81 percent of total popullation while on the other hand Manhattan had the lowest number people in 2000. in 1900 all districts are in Mediator percentage of popullation other four had 46 percent while the Manhattan had 54 percent increasead of 9 percent

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The candidate attempts to cover all parts of the task by reporting the overall population trends of New York City and the district breakdowns for Manhattan versus the other four districts in 1800, 1900, and 2000. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and awkward phrasing in reporting specific data points (for instance, writing 'its increased to 3,437202' and struggling with percentages and figures). While an overview is attempted at the beginning of the second paragraph, it is heavily fragmented and lacks clear, well-supported comparisons. The information is presented, but the lack of precision and under-developed comparison keeps this response at Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response suffers from severe issues with basic sentence structure and paragraphing, starting with a fragment ('While the other two tables demonstrate...'). Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or repetitively (e.g., 'Moreover', 'Nevertheless', 'on the other hand'), failing to create a smooth logical progression. The essay lacks clear paragraph breaks that logically group ideas, resulting in a jumbled presentation where overview statements and specific data points are mixed together. Reference and pronoun use are also weak, making the progression difficult to follow. These issues correspond to a Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0 due to some discernible overall structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Vocabulary usage is basic, repetitive, and marred by frequent spelling and word-choice errors. Words like 'popullation', 'height' (used instead of highest/peak), 'approximatly', 'rockted', and 'daceds' demonstrate limited control of word formation and spelling. Less common vocabulary is attempted but is almost always inaccurate or incorrectly collocated (e.g., 'all districts are in Mediator percentage'). While the intended meaning can usually be deciphered through context, the lexical limitations and strain on the reader prevent the score from exceeding Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The text is plagued by major punctuation and capitalization errors (e.g., starting sentences with lowercase letters like 'however', 'on the other hand'), sentence boundary errors, and fragments. Complex sentence structures are rare, and attempts at them result in frequent structural failures and grammatical inaccuracies (e.g., 'While in comparison of districts population. Manhattan had heightest number...'). Errors are extremely frequent and often hinder comprehension, placing the response firmly at Band 4.0.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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