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 table show the changes of population in the districts of New York city over the same time period.
In year 2000, the major part of population is seen in other districts whereas, Manhattan had the highest population in the early years of 1800 and 1900.
In year 1800 Manhattan resides comparitively more amount of people of 76% as compare to other districts which had only 24% of people living in them.
Whereas, the trend goes finally fair in year 1900. In year 1900 the population was almost equally distributed between Manhatten and Other districts in which Manhatten had a slightly higher percentage of 54% and other districts constitute 46% of population only.
Finally, in year 2000 the significant change can be seen between two of the comparable regions. Other districts have substantial percentage of population of 81% as compare to Manhattan which had remain with only 19% of people accomodating in it.
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 prompt by summarising the population changes in New York City and its districts between 1800 and 2000. However, there are significant omissions and inaccuracies. The student completely misses the overall population figures for NYC as a whole provided in the first table, focusing solely on the district comparisons. Furthermore, there is a factual error in the description of the 1800 data: the student states that Manhattan 'resides' 76% of people, but fails to mention the absolute population figures or adequately synthesize the broader trends. The overview is weak, lacking a clear summary of the massive overall growth and the shifting demographic center of gravity from Manhattan to the other districts over the two-century span. Consequently, this falls under Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response is structured into an introduction and several body paragraphs, attempting a chronological approach. However, the logical progression is frequently hindered by awkward transitions, such as 'the trend goes finally fair in year 1900'. Paragraphing is attempted, but individual paragraphs are very short and sometimes consist of single sentences, limiting the overall cohesion. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and sometimes inaccurately (e.g., 'Whereas', 'Finally'). Additionally, referencing is occasionally confusing, as seen in the phrase 'between two of the comparable regions'. While the overall intent is discernible, the lack of smooth transitions and effective paragraph development keeps the response at Band 5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently relying on simple terms such as 'people', 'districts', and 'population'. There are several noticeable word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'Manhattan resides comparitively more amount of people' and 'other districts constitute 46% of population only'. Furthermore, spelling errors ('Manhatten') and awkward phrasing ('remain with only 19% of people accomodating in it') detract from the quality of the writing. The lexical range is minimally adequate to convey basic data points, but the frequent inaccuracies and lack of sophisticated phrasing restrict the score to Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The table show'), incorrect prepositions and verb forms ('Manhattan resides... amount of people'), and awkward passive/active confusion ('other districts have substantial percentage... as compare to Manhattan which had remain with only 19%'). Punctuation is also occasionally problematic. While some sentences are comprehensible, the high frequency of errors causes strain and difficulty for the reader, placing this firmly in the Band 5 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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