Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-05

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 tabulated illustarte population of now york city from the year 1800 to 2000, it dipicts five major town in the city how the population are rose by the passing years.

apparantly if assuming the years the population of the city is enroling in larger numbers in the year 1800 it is on 79,216 but it surge in 2000 on the number of 8,009,185. among all the town manhattan has population in larger number from the year 1800 and 1900 it is (60,515-1,850,093) as per (76%-54) percentage but in the yaer 2000 it is drastically falling on the number 1,538,096 even the percentage are more lesser 19%.

however speaking about the other four town of the city which are brooklyn,bronx,queens and staten island the higest population number were visible on the year 2000 which are 6,471,089 as 81% percentage and in the year 1800 and 1900 it is stand on the 24% and 46% percentage with the maximum number of population on 1,600,000

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response attempts to cover the main features of the tables, presenting overall figures for New York City and data for Manhattan and the other districts. However, the treatment of the task is limited and partially incomplete. While the overall population growth from 1800 to 2000 is noted, the description lacks clarity in places, and some data points are handled weakly. For instance, the reference to the population of the other districts in 1900 as 'maximum number of population on 1,600,000' is imprecise compared to the provided data. The overview is underdeveloped, and the progression of ideas is hindered by unclear phrasing and numerous expression issues. To reach a higher level, the response needs to present a clearer, more fully developed overview of the main trends without getting bogged down in confusing brackets and percentages, ensuring all comparisons between Manhattan and the other districts are clearly and accurately reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organisation in the text, with an attempt to introduce the topic, report on the overall city and Manhattan, and then discuss the other districts. However, the overall progression is unclear and difficult to follow due to a lack of proper paragraphing and disjointed sentence structures. Cohesive devices are either missing, inadequate, or used mechanically, such as 'apparantly if assuming' and 'however speaking about'. The text runs together as a single block or poorly structured sentences, making the logical relationship between data points strained. To improve Coherence and Cohesion, the writer should divide the response into clear paragraphs with a distinct introduction, overview, and body paragraphs, using a wider range of appropriate transition words to smoothly guide the reader through the comparative data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and heavily influenced by spelling errors and incorrect word forms, such as 'illustarte', 'dipicts', 'town', 'apparantly', 'enroling', and 'lesser'. There are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, including 'the population are rose' and 'population in larger number'. While the writer attempts less common vocabulary or structures, the persistent inaccuracies and non-standard forms impede smooth reading and cause some difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the student must expand their vocabulary range, learn correct word forms and collocations for describing statistical data (such as 'surge', 'dramatically', 'proportion'), and carefully proofread their work to eliminate basic spelling mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The grammatical range is very limited, relying heavily on simple or poorly connected clauses that attempt complexity with frequent failure. There are numerous grammatical errors throughout the response, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the population are rose', 'percentage are more lesser'), incorrect prepositions ('on the year', 'on the number'), and missing articles. Punctuation is also problematic, with run-on sentences lacking proper periods or commas. These frequent errors cause considerable difficulty for the reader in understanding the intended meaning. To improve this criterion, the writer needs to focus on mastering basic sentence structures, ensuring correct verb tenses for past data, maintaining subject-verb agreement, and using accurate prepositions and articles consistently.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.