Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-08

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 presents information on population across New York City. Whereas, second and third tables provides data for five districts of the city which are Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island.

Overall, New York City has the highest population in year 1800 amongst others. Mean while, in 1900 and 2000 New York City still maintained it's position on the top being the populated city besides others.

Through the data table we can observe that in New York City population has always increased gradually starting from 79,219 in 1800 and reaching to 8,009,185 in 2000. On the other hand, Manhattan had a 19% dip in the year 2000 in it's population.

The other districts also gradually increased in their population through 1800,1900 and 2000 starting from the 18,701 aproxamitly 24% to [redacted phone] in year 2000. A maj

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the broad subject and report the overall rise in New York City’s population, but the response only partially covers the key comparisons. The overview is inaccurate: “New York City has the highest population in year 1800 amongst others” confuses the city total with the district figures. You also say Manhattan had a “19% dip”; 19% is its share of the city’s population in 2000, not the size of its decline. The city total in 1800 is 79,216, not 79,219, and Manhattan’s population actually fell from 1,850,093 in 1900 to 1,538,096 in 2000. The response ends mid-sentence and is 12 words below the required minimum. Include a clear overview and accurately compare the changing shares and populations across all three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is an attempt to organise the response into an introduction, an overview and paragraphs about the city and districts. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the overview repeats the city’s status without clearly stating the main trends, and the comparisons between Manhattan and the other districts are not developed. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand” and “Through the data table” are used, but they do not always express the relationship between the information accurately. The final paragraph stops at “A maj”, leaving the discussion incomplete. Use separate, complete paragraphs for the overall trends and the key comparisons, and connect each figure directly to the trend it illustrates.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “population,” “districts,” “increased,” and “data table,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the intended meaning unclear. For example, “highest population … amongst others” does not clearly distinguish the city total from its districts, while “19% dip” mislabels a percentage share as a decline. “Maintained it’s position on the top” is also an awkward way to describe the figures. Spelling errors such as “aproxamitly” and the incomplete phrase “A maj” further weaken precision. Choose vocabulary that describes the data relationship exactly, such as “accounted for” when reporting a share.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentence forms, including the opening contrast with “Whereas” and the sentence beginning “The other districts also gradually increased…”. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. “Whereas, second and third tables provides” has faulty punctuation, a missing article and subject–verb disagreement; “in year 1800” also needs an article. In “New York City population has always increased,” the tense and sentence structure are not well controlled. The apostrophe in “it’s position” is incorrect for the possessive form, and the final sentence is unfinished. Practise accurate simple comparisons first, then combine them using controlled clauses and check agreement, articles and punctuation.

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

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