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 first table chart represents changes in overall population of new york city during the period [redacted phone].The next two charts illustrates chanes in population of the five city districts thoughout the same period.
Overall,in 1800 to 2000 population increased rapidly according to that table the highest rate of population in the year 2000 was almost 8,009,185.However during the year 1900 population rate increased than the year 1800. Number of population rate was the lowest point at the period of 1800. Additionally, at first table new york city Mantattan had highest percentage rate of total population.In 1800, manhattan city was highest percentage of total population afterward in 1900 and then the lowest percentage rate of total population during the year 2000. Furthermore, the other districts Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten island had highest rate of total popultion which was almost 81% in 2000. Whereas during the period [redacted phone] the percentage of total population was 24% and 46% respectiviely. In contrast, Manhattan was the only highest percentage of total popultion in the new york city.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student attempts to address all parts of the task by reporting the overall population changes and comparing Manhattan with the other districts across the years 1800, 1900, and 2000. Key data points are cited, such as the total population of 8,009,185 in 2000 and the percentage shifts in Manhattan and the other districts. However, the response suffers from some awkward phrasing and minor inaccuracies in interpreting the data trends (for instance, stating that Manhattan was the 'only highest percentage' rather than clearly explaining how the population share flipped between Manhattan and the other districts). Nevertheless, an overall trend is identified and main features are selected, satisfying the requirements for a Band 5.5 to 6.0 level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay attempts a logical overall arrangement, beginning with an introduction, moving to an overview, and providing body details. However, paragraphing is poorly handled, with most of the text clumped together into a single large paragraph after the introduction. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes mechanically or awkwardly, such as 'Additionally, at first table' and 'In contrast, Manhattan was the only highest percentage'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, making the progression of ideas disjointed at times. This fits the Band 5.0 descriptors well.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with frequent use of words like 'population', 'rate', 'percentage', and 'highest'. There are noticeable lexical and collocational errors, such as 'population rate' instead of population size, and misspellings like 'chanes' instead of changes and 'Mantattan' instead of Manhattan. The range is minimally adequate to convey the basic statistics from the table, but lexical limitations and word choice errors sometimes cause difficulty for the reader, placing it at Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many sentences contain noticeable grammatical errors. There are issues with article usage ('in new york city'), missing prepositions, capitalization errors ('new york city', 'Mantattan'), and awkward punctuation. Furthermore, some complex structures are faulty, such as 'according to that table the highest rate of population in the year 2000 was almost 8,009,185'. Frequent errors in grammar and punctuation cause some difficulty for the reader, aligning with Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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