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 tables provide information about changes in the total population of New York city and in the population of the five districts of the city from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, in initial year the population of of all five districts is lowest ,however in final year it increased by almost 8 times.

In context of Manhattan the population is highest in the begining year as compare to remaining four districts with 60515 people which contains 76% of the whole population and in final year it contributed the lowest propotion of population that is [redacted phone] .

On the other hand remaining four districts contributed the lowest number of population than Manhattan by almost 4 times lesser in initial year. In 2000 the population of these four districts increased from 18701 to [redacted phone] with the increment of 55% of total population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad population growth and the changing balance between Manhattan and the other districts, and several figures are accurate: Manhattan had 60,515 residents (76%) in 1800, while the other districts reached 6,471,089 (81%) in 2000. However, the overview is incomplete: the city total rose from 79,216 to 8,009,185, but the response does not report these totals or the 1900 figures, and it does not clearly describe Manhattan’s rise to 1,850,093 in 1900 before its decline. The claim that the other districts increased “with the increment of 55%” is unclear; their share rose by 57 percentage points, from 24% to 81%. The response is 120 words, below the 150-word minimum, so the task is only partially covered. Add a fuller overview and key comparisons across all three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, useful structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate discussion of Manhattan and the other districts. “On the other hand” signals a contrast, and the reader can generally follow the comparison. However, progression is limited because the account moves from the overall trend to district details without systematically comparing the three years. Some linking is awkward or unclear, particularly “In context of Manhattan” and “with the increment of 55%,” which makes the relationship between population growth and percentage share difficult to follow. The overview also repeats the idea of growth without clearly summarising the main shift in population distribution. Organise the body chronologically or by district, and use precise references such as “by 2000” and “whereas” to make comparisons clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “total population,” “contributed,” “remaining four districts,” and “increased,” so the topic is understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear. “In the context of Manhattan” would be more natural than “In context of Manhattan,” while “the lowest number of population” and “with the increment of 55%” do not express the intended comparisons clearly. There are also spelling errors in “begining” and “propotion,” and “population” is repeated frequently. Use precise terms such as “population share,” “accounted for,” and “rose by” or “fell to,” checking that the wording distinguishes a change in population from a change in percentage share.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex sentence forms, for example, “in the final year it increased by almost 8 times” and the sentence contrasting Manhattan with the other districts. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to read. Examples include “in initial year the population,” which needs an article, “the population of of all five districts,” which repeats a word, and “Manhattan the population is highest,” which lacks a clear grammatical connection. Tense and comparison structures are also inconsistent, as in “is highest” when describing past data and “four times lesser.” Use past tense consistently, check articles and sentence boundaries, and write comparisons as “four times lower” or, more clearly, “about one-third as large.”

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