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 tabluar chart represents the information regrading the changes in the total populatiopn of New york city from 1800 to 2000. Whereas, second and third illusartes the changes in the growth of people in five districts of the city ( Manhattan, Brooklyn,Bronx,Queens,Staten Island ) over the same period.
In 1800 the population of New york was 79,216 in all five districts and Whereas, Manhattan was holding highest ratio of 76% and other four was only having percentage of 24% which was almost three time less then Manhattan.Moreover, after 100 years increase of 3.3 million was noticed in population of New york.The fall in the percentage of Manhattan was seen and other districts was double was the ratio in 1900.
Moreover, In the final year New york city population reached to 80 million and only 19% of population was living in Manhattan which was lowest. While other districts has seen huge boom in their growth. 81 percent of population staying in these district which was highest percentage.
overall, In year 1800 Manhattan was having highest population living in it with ratio of 76% and Other four districts only having 24% of population.Whereas in 2000 huge increase seen other districts with the ratio of 81%.
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 response covers the main features of the task, noting the overall population growth from 1800 to 2000 and comparing Manhattan with the other districts over the three given years. However, there is a notable factual error in the third paragraph, where the student states that the population of New York City reached '80 million' instead of roughly 8 million. Additionally, the overview at the end is repetitive and largely restates the introduction and body points without providing a concise summary of the most striking trends. While the key comparisons are present, the inaccurate figure pulls down the overall task response.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs, including an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a concluding overview. However, the logical progression is hindered by frequent mechanical and faulty cohesive devices (such as starting multiple sentences with 'Moreover' and 'Whereas'). The opening sentence of the second paragraph awkwardly splits a thought ('In 1800 the population of New york was 79,216 in all five districts and Whereas...'). Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion lacks smooth transitions, and referencing is occasionally unclear, placing it firmly at a Band 5.0 level.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for communicating basic trends, featuring terms like 'population', 'percentage', 'ratio', and 'boom'. However, there are numerous spelling errors and awkward lexical choices, such as 'tabluar' (tabular), 'regrading' (regarding), 'populatiopn' (population), and 'illusartes' (illustrates). Collocations are also weak, for example, saying Manhattan was 'holding highest ratio' or other districts 'having percentage of 24%'. The range is limited and repetitive, which prevents the score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentences, but grammatical accuracy is quite low. There are frequent errors in articles ('in New york', 'the final year'), subject-verb agreement ('While other districts has seen', 'Other four districts only having'), and sentence fragments or run-on structures (e.g., 'Whereas, second and third illusartes...'). Punctuation is also erratic, with unnecessary commas separating subjects from verbs and incorrect capitalization in district names ('Bronx,Queens'). These frequent errors frequently distract the reader.
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