Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-26
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 the alternatives in the all population of the America biggest city New York during 1800 to 2000.The other two tables represents the variations in population of the five different districts of the city which are Manhattan,Brooklyn,Bronx,Queens and Staten islands over the similar peroid.
Overall,the population of all the cities were increasing rapidly durin this period of time.In Manhattan the population was rose in eighteen century.Other four cities showed that thier population was climed up in latest century as compared to the other centuries.
After analysing the first table,the overall populaton of New York all five districts were low in 1800 about the 79216 .During the 1900 and 2000 population was increased dramatically and reached about 3,347,202 to 8,009,185 respectively.
The second table showed that the population of Manhattan showed the downward trend during this period .Population was 76% in 1800 and 19% in 2000.The third table conatined the remainaing four districts .Their population were increasin and jumped from 24% to 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 addresses the main parts of the task by reporting on overall population changes and district breakdowns between 1800 and 2000. An overview is attempted, noting that populations generally increased, though some details are misconstrued or imprecise (e.g., calling Manhattan's percentage drops a 'downward trend in population' when the population actually grew from 60,515 to over 1.5 million). Furthermore, referring to the districts as separate 'cities' is inaccurate given the prompt. While key figures like the 1800 and 2000 totals are included, the reporting of data points contains inaccuracies, such as transposing digits (writing 3,347,202 instead of 3,437,202). This places the response in the Band 5.0 to 5.5 range.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text is divided into four paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs corresponding to the tables. However, the logical progression is hindered by frequent mechanical cohesion issues, missing spacing after punctuation, and awkward transitions. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'Other four cities showed...' where districts are mislabelled as cities. Paragraphing is present, but overall cohesion is faulty and repetitive, reflecting a Band 5.0 level.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, with frequent word-choice errors and non-standard collocations such as 'alternatives' instead of 'changes', 'all population' instead of 'total population', and 'climed up' instead of 'climbed'. Spelling and morphological mistakes are noticeable throughout the text (e.g., 'peroid', 'populaton', 'conatined', 'increasin'). Although the meaning is generally decipherable, the lexical control is restricted to basic terms, fitting the Band 5 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response shows a very limited range of grammatical structures. Simple sentences predominate, and attempts at complex or passive structures frequently result in serious errors, such as 'the population was rose' and 'population of New York all five districts were low'. Punctuation errors are common, notably missing spaces after commas and periods. Frequent grammatical errors cause some difficulty and strain for the reader, aligning closely with Band 5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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