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 illustrates changes in the total population of Ner York city between 1800 and 2000 while, the second and third tables demonstrates changes in popuplation of the five districts of the city such as Mahattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten island over the same period.

Overall, it was clearly seen that population of Manhattan was highest as compared to others. On the other hand, other districts population was lowest in 1800.

First of all, total population of all five districts of New York city was 79,216 in 1800. Furthermore, in 79,216 Manhattan contain large numbers which was 60,515 while, others 18,701 was the population of other four districts. In addition, population of all districts increased over the years. Nevertheless, in 20th century population of Manhattan decresed and reach at their lowest point which was 19% whereas, population of other four districts rise and reach their highest which was 81%. At last, in 1900 population of Manhattan and other four districts approximately remain same they have little bit diference such as 54% and 46%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to address the prompt by summarising the population changes of New York City and its districts between 1800 and 2000. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and fails to report key data accurately. For instance, the statement that 'population of Manhattan was highest as compared to others' in 1800 is correct, but the writer misinterprets the 1900 data, claiming that Manhattan and the other districts approximately remained the same at 54% and 46%, whereas the tables show 1,850,093 versus 1,587,109. An overview is present, but the selection of features and comparisons is somewhat limited and flawed by misinterpretations of the figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is divided into three paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph. However, the logical progression is weak, and cohesive devices are used clumsily, such as 'First of all,' 'In addition,' 'Nevertheless,' and 'At last.' The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the mechanical linking creates a choppy flow. Paragraphing is attempted, but the main body lacks a well-structured breakdown of the data, grouping multiple disparate points together rather than organising them logically by time period or district trends.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with frequent spelling mistakes ('Ner York', 'popuplation', 'Mahattan', 'decresed', 'reach at their lowest point', 'diference'). While the student attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'illustrates', 'demonstrates', and 'percentage', the numerous lexical and spelling errors noticeably impede communication and reveal a limited range adequate only for basic task description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The text displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences joined by basic conjunctions. Attempts at complex sentences often result in grammatical errors, such as 'while, the second and third tables demonstrates' (plural/singular agreement and incorrect punctuation) and 'population of Manhattan decresed and reach at their lowest point'. Punctuation is faulty throughout, particularly with comma splices and misplaced commas. Frequent grammatical and mechanical errors cause some difficulty for the reader.

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