Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-22
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 illustrate changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000.The second and third tables show changes in the population across five districts of the city (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) over the same period.
Overall, in the first table the changes in population are shown on bais of two columns(year, population) while in second and third table changes in population are shown on basis of three columns(year, popluation, percentage of total population)
In first table, in year 2000 the population count marked the highest as 8,009,185 while the lowest count has been shown in the year 1800 as 79,216.In the second table which shows changes sepcifically for Manhattan in that population in the year 1900 shown the highest as 1,850,093 while as per the percentage of total population the highest has been recorded as 76% in the year 1800.
Fot the rest of the districts of the city the population count got increased from the year 1800 to 2000.In the beginning of the year 1800 the lowest count has been recorded as 18,701 with percentage of total population as 24% while the highest count has been recorded as 6,471,089 with percentage of total population as 24%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5
The candidate attempts to address the prompt by reporting figures from the tables, but the task achievement is limited. Crucially, the overview paragraph fails to summarise the main trends or overall comparisons (such as the massive population growth of New York City and the shift of population share from Manhattan to the other districts). Instead, the overview merely describes the structure of the tables (e.g., 'in the first table the changes in population are shown on bais of two columns...'). Furthermore, there are significant factual inaccuracies in reporting the data: in the final paragraph, the candidate states that the highest count for the other districts was recorded as '6,471,089 with percentage of total population as 24%', which contradicts the data table showing 81%.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by poor structural choices. The overview paragraph is inappropriate because, rather than outlining global trends or main features of the visual data, it describes the layout and column structure of the tables. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes repetitive. For instance, the transition 'In first table...', 'In the second table...', and 'Fot the rest of the districts...' creates a mechanical and list-like feel rather than a fluid comparison. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of information lacks analytical clarity.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, relying heavily on terms directly copied from the prompt such as 'population', 'districts', 'percentage', and 'total population'. There are also noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'illustrate' instead of 'illustrates' (subject-verb agreement), 'bais' instead of 'basis', 'popluation', and 'sepcifically'. While the range is minimally adequate to discuss numerical data, the lack of precise lexical variety and the frequent typographical errors restrict the score to this band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response features a limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences and basic descriptive clauses. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The first table illustrate'), missing articles ('in year 2000', 'in second and third table'), and awkward prepositions ('marked the highest as'). Complex structures are rarely attempted, and when they are, they often contain errors. However, the meaning is generally decipherable despite the frequent errors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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