Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-30
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 dipicts the variation in population of different cities and of USA (New York, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) in between 1800 and 2000.
Overall, the New York City experience significant increase in population while Manhattan propulation has opposite trend. However there is fluctuation in number of people live in other districts
In the 20th century the population of New York Increase dramatically and shows almost same trend in next century from 1900 to 2000. The number of people living in district of Manhattan rose but the proportion of total population goes down between 1800 and 1900, Futhermore in 1900 and 2000, the population of district and total population perecentage decreases 325,000 and 23% respectively.
On the other hand, remaing four cities and districts shows up trend in two centuries, the quantity of individuals living in these districs increase from 18,701 to 6,471,089 and proportion of whole cities population of increase by 62.
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 addresses the main features of the tables, including overall population growth in New York City and the contrasting trend in Manhattan versus the other districts. However, there are several factual inaccuracies and misinterpretations of the data. For instance, the student states that the population of Manhattan rose between 1800 and 1900, which is correct, but then claims it decreased between 1900 and 2000 by 325,000 (the actual figures are 1,850,093 in 1900 and 1,538,096 in 2000, meaning a decrease of roughly 312,000, which is close, but the percentages and comparisons are occasionally confused). Additionally, the overview is slightly vague. Overall, the task is addressed, but data handling contains minor errors.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response is organized into four paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for Manhattan and the other districts. However, the logical progression is hindered by frequent referencing issues and abrupt transitions (e.g., 'Futhermore in 1900 and 2000, the population of district and total population perecentage decreases'). Cohesive devices are mechanically used or misused, and paragraphing is somewhat disjointed. The flow between sentences often feels disconnected, preventing a higher score in this criterion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'variation', 'fluctuation', and 'proportion'. However, there are numerous spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, such as 'dipicts' instead of 'depicts', 'propulation', 'Futhermore', 'remaing', and 'districs'. Additionally, collocations are occasionally awkward, such as 'shows up trend' instead of 'shows an upward trend'. These errors indicate a limited range with noticeable inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as concessive clauses starting with 'However'. However, grammatical control is weak, with frequent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The three tables dipicts', 'New York City experience', 'four cities and districts shows'), missing articles, and tense inconsistencies. Punctuation is also lacking in places (e.g., missing periods or incorrect comma usage). These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and restrict the score to a 5.0.
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