Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-27
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 illustrates the alterations in inhibitants of New York City and his districts from 1800 to 2000.There were five districts of New York which were Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.
Overall, the population of New York City increased from 1800 to 2000. In 1800, the number of residents in New York were 79216 which were too low as compare to year 1900. They increased to 8,009,185 in year 2000.
Additionaly, the public of Manhattan district were 60,515 in year 1800. It also went to its high till 2000.On the other hand, the percentage of total population went to decline phase from 1800 to 2000. Moreover, the community of other districts aslo increased. In contrast, the ratio of overall residents decreased from 1800 to 2000.
In conclusion, the population of New York City and his districts increased from 1800 to 2000 but there were some variations in the percentage.
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 address the task by summarizing the main population trends of New York City and its districts from 1800 to 2000. However, the response suffers from significant weaknesses in data reporting. For instance, the statement that the population of Manhattan 'went to its high till 2000' is factually incorrect according to the tables, which show that Manhattan's population actually peaked in 1900 (1,850,093) before declining to 1,538,096 in 2000. Furthermore, data for individual districts apart from Manhattan are largely ignored or referred to vaguely as 'other districts'. While an overview is present, the lack of accurate data selection and misinterpretation of trends place this response in Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text is divided into four paragraphs, including an introduction and a conclusion, showing a basic structural awareness. However, the logical progression is weak. The author uses some basic cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', but referencing and transitions between sentences are often confusing or mechanical. For example, using 'It also went to its high' after mentioning the population of Manhattan creates ambiguity regarding whether the pronoun refers to the population number or the district itself. Paragraphing is attempted, but ideas within paragraphs are not consistently well-linked, leading to a choppy and disjointed reading experience.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, frequently relying on simple terms like 'population', 'districts', 'increased', and 'decreased'. There are also several noticeable lexical and spelling errors, such as 'alterations' instead of 'changes', 'inhibitants' instead of 'inhabitants', and 'Additionaly'. Phrasing such as 'too low as compare to' and 'the public of Manhattan district' is unnatural and reflects a limited control of collocation and academic style. Although the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey a general topic, frequent errors and lack of sophisticated phrasing restrict the score to Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. The sentences are predominantly simple or basic compound forms, and attempts at complex structures are either absent or flawed. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the number of residents in New York were') and incorrect pronoun usage ('New York City and his districts'). Punctuation errors are also present, such as missing spaces after periods. These frequent errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader and demonstrate weak control over complex grammar.
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