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 three tables show the overall polutaion of new york city and how popolationi had changed in the districts such as mahhattan, brooklyn, bronx, queens and staten island during three centries. Overall, the mojority of population was residing in manhattan during 1800s and 1900 centries, while in twenteeth centrory we oberve increase in population and mojority of them settled in other districts.
During the eighteeth centrory, total population of city was 79,216 and 76 precent (60,515) of it was settled in manhattanand only 24 precent (18,701) people were in rest four distrcts combined.
In ninteenth centurary, nye work's population rose to 3,437,202 and 54 precent ([redacted phone]) of it was in mahnattan while other districts saw increase in poplaution number by 46 precent( [redacted phone])
during twenteeth centourery, population reached to 0.8 million and only 19 precent of it was in manhattan and 81 precent in rest of four distrcts,
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the data, noting the overall population growth and the shift in population distribution between Manhattan and the other districts across the three years (1800, 1900, and 2000). However, the length requirement of a minimum of 150 words is not met, as the response contains only 148 words. Additionally, there are factual inaccuracies in the data reporting; for example, the writer states that the 2000 population reached '0.8 million', whereas the table shows 8,009,185 (approximately 8 million). Due to the under-length penalty and these numerical errors, the task achievement is limited.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs for each time period. However, the logical progression is hindered by frequent spelling and typographical errors, and the paragraphing is underdeveloped. Cohesive devices are minimal and basic (e.g., 'while', 'and'). Referencing between sentences sometimes becomes unclear due to the high density of mechanical errors, resulting in a choppy and disjointed reading experience.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, with frequent misspellings and word-formation errors throughout the response. Examples include 'polutaion', 'popolationi', 'mahhattan', 'mojority', 'twenteeth', 'centrory', 'oberve', 'eighteeth', 'precent', 'distrcts', 'ninteenth', 'centurary', 'nye work', 'mahnattan', 'poplaution', and 'centourery'. These errors demonstrate a limited control over spelling and lexical items, impeding communication at times.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The response attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but it is heavily marred by persistent grammatical errors and punctuation issues. Errors include missing capitalisation ('new york city', 'manhattan'), missing articles ('total population of city', 'rest four distrcts'), and incorrect prepositions. Furthermore, sentences lack structural polish, and basic subject-verb or noun-form control is frequently compromised.
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