Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-07

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 compares the data regarding over the changes occured in total poplution of New York city between 1800 and 2000. The second and third table illutrate the change occur in five districts population; Manhattan, The Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten island over the period.

Overall, New york accounted for highest number of population while other districts accounted for a least figure. Manthan remained the second highest populated city.

In 1800, New York remained the highest populated city with 79,216 population. Manhathan became the second largest populated city at 76% as compared to other districts with 24%.

New york population was subsequently increased in 1900 while, Manhathan and other districts population remained 54% and 46%, respectively.

Moreover, other districts had lowest population in last few years but in 2000, it became the largest populated area at 6,471,089 population. The population figure fell down for Manhathon in 2000 as compared to other districts. However, New York remained the highest over the given period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad pattern that New York City’s population increased and that the other four districts gained importance relative to Manhattan. The figures of 79,216, 76% and 24%, and the 2000 figure of 6,471,089 are reported accurately. However, the overview is unclear and includes a major misreading: Manhattan was not the second-highest populated city; it was one district, and in 2000 its population was lower than that of the other districts combined. The response also omits the total population figures for 1900 and 2000 and does not clearly describe Manhattan’s population rising to 1,850,093 in 1900 before falling. Select and compare the key figures more precisely to give a fuller account of the tables.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the three years. This gives the reader some organisation, and words such as “Overall,” “Moreover” and “However” signal relationships between ideas. Nevertheless, the progression is not consistently clear: the overview says New York had the highest population while other districts had the least, without clarifying that the tables compare the city total with district groupings. The repeated references to “highest” and “lowest” also make comparisons difficult to follow, and “in last few years” is vague. Organise the body chronologically or by contrasting Manhattan with the other districts, and use clear references to each population group.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “population,” “districts,” “accounted for” and “as compared to,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. Phrases such as “highest populated city,” “a least figure” and “population figure fell down” are not natural ways to describe these data; “Manhattan” is also repeatedly misspelled as “Manhathan” or “Manhathon,” and “New York” is inconsistently capitalised. These errors sometimes make the intended comparison less clear. Build a more precise set of terms for describing population size, proportions, increases and decreases, and check spelling of place names.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast introduced by “while” and a sentence beginning “Moreover.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. For example, “over the changes occured” has an incorrect construction and verb form, while “the change occur” lacks the appropriate verb form. In “New york population was subsequently increased,” the verb pattern is faulty; “Manhathan and other districts population” also lacks possessive marking or a suitable plural construction. Punctuation around “while” is awkward, and articles and sentence structure are not consistently controlled. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and straightforward comparative sentence patterns before adding more complex clauses.

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