Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-24
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 shows diffrent times of changes which is held in time between 1800 to 2000 how the population ratio changes in the given time with the percentage of new york city's diffrent towns area and districts here sumerise the information.
given bar occurs diffrent area of town from the new york city which divide in five city first let's talk about manhattan the city shows higher number of population in the year 1800 the population stands on 60,515 and percentange considerd on 76% moreover a drastic change seems on the city graph the number of population were rising bt as per the percentage it is decreasing on the percentage side even it getting worse in the year 2000 the number of percentage were on 19% and the population held on 1,538,096
while talk about other for citys brooklyn,bronx,queens,staten island disccusing about this for town mainly if see on the number side after the passing year it improve in all the year on the 1800 population were 18,701 and the percentage number were 24% although in 1900 it increase 1,587,109 on 46% and in the year 2000 it incline surprisingly on the numric way 6,471,089 on 81%.
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 report data from the tables, including overall population figures for New York City and specific breakdowns for Manhattan and the other four districts between 1800 and 2000. Key features and comparisons are partially identified, such as the rising population and shifting percentages over the two centuries. However, the response lacks a clear overview, which is a vital requirement for Academic Task 1. Furthermore, the data description is somewhat unstructured and conversational in tone rather than analytical. Some specific figures are mentioned correctly, but the overall development of trends is limited, resulting in a Band 5.0 performance.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text suffers from a lack of proper punctuation and paragraphing. It is essentially broken down into long, run-on sentences with very few periods or commas, making it difficult for the reader to follow the logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are extremely basic and repetitive, frequently relying on conversational phrases like 'first let's talk about' and 'while talk about'. Although the information is grouped broadly into sections (Manhattan and the other districts), the absence of standard essay structure and paragraph breaks severely limits coherence, placing it at Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is very limited and basic, featuring frequent spelling errors (e.g., 'diffrent', 'sumerise', 'disccusing', 'numric') and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'times of changes which is held', 'the number of percentage were on 19%'). The student attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'drastic change' and 'surprisingly', but inadequate word choices and recurring lexical inaccuracies impede communication in places. The range is minimally adequate for conveying simple statistical data, but lacks the precision required for a higher band, fitting the Band 4.5/5.0 profile.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The writing relies heavily on run-on sentences joined incorrectly by conjunctions or missing punctuation entirely. There is a very limited range of structures, and attempts at complex or relative clauses are heavily flawed (e.g., 'how the population ratio changes in the given time with the percentage of new york city's diffrent towns area'). Errors in subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, and sentence boundaries are frequent and cause considerable difficulty for the reader. This corresponds to a Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0.
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