Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-29
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 tables provide information about the population of five cities including New York, Manhattan, Bronx for the period 1800 to 2000 and its percentage change to total population over the same span. Overall, New York city population raised with great veriation followed by all the collective districts including (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens).
The New York city population changed dramtically which was 79216 in 1800 while there's a massive increase occur in its collective all districts and reached nearly tripple around [redacted phone]. Similarly, Manhattan population was 60515 in 1800 which became 76% of the total US population, interestingly it increased nearly two and half time till 2000 but became only 19% of the total population.
Meanwhile, other districts inluding Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and State Island collective population was 18701 which was only 24% of the total population and this percentage rised upto 81% in 2000 with [redacted phone] population.
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 response covers the main trends in the data, noting the overall population growth of New York City and contrasting the changing shares of Manhattan versus the other districts. However, there are several factual inaccuracies and misinterpretations of the data. For instance, the student states that the population reached 'around 8,009,185' by being 'nearly trippled' from 1900, when in fact it more than doubled from 1900 (3.4 million) and grew massively from 1800 (79,216). Furthermore, the student incorrectly claims that Manhattan's population in 1800 became '76% of the total US population' (it was actually 76% of New York City's total population, not the US). Additionally, the response falls slightly short of the 150-word minimum at 146 words, which pulls down the score under Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is divided into three paragraphs with a logical attempt at an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, overall progression is hindered by awkward transitions and confusing references. For instance, the phrase 'followed by all the collective districts including (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens)' is unclear and structurally disjointed. Cohesive devices are sometimes used awkwardly or inaccurately, such as 'Meanwhile, other districts inluding...' which disrupts the flow. Paragraphing is present, but the internal organisation of ideas within paragraphs lacks precision, occasionally grouping unrelated data points together.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The lexical range is limited and frequently repetitive. The student uses basic vocabulary such as 'population', 'increase', 'total', and 'percentage'. There are several spelling errors, including 'veriation' for variation, 'dramtically' for dramatically, 'tripple' for triple, 'inluding' for including, and 'rised' for rose. Word choice and collocations are often inaccurate or unnatural, such as 'increased nearly two and half time' and 'collective population'. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey a basic understanding of the task, the frequent spelling mistakes and lexical limitations keep this criterion at Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('New York city population raised with great veriation', 'New York city population changed dramtically which was... while there's a massive increase occur') and tense inconsistencies. Punctuation is generally weak, with missing commas in clauses. Complex structures often contain errors that cause difficulty for the reader, such as 'interestingly it increased nearly two and half time till 2000 but became only 19% of the total population.'
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