Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-09

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 illustrates changes in the total population of new york city from 1800 to 2000. The second and third tables illustrates changes in the population of the five districts of the city Manhattan, brooklyn, bronx, Queens, Staten island over the same period.

Overall, it is noticeable that the population of the new York city of all five districts were grow from 1800 to 2000.

In 1800 year, the population were at 79,216. On other side, In 1900 year, population were go up after hundred year at 3,437,202. After that, In 2000 year, it were jump at 8,009,185.

It is obvious that, The first district of new york city Manhattan steadily in 1800 year with the 60,515 population at the 76% of total population. Instead of other year in 1900 to 2000 were fluctuates at 54% to 19$ of total population. After the Two hundred year later it were down their population %.

In conclusion, Other districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island) of New york city were grow insteantly in their population %. It may grow up from 24% to 81% of city population % in other districts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the overall rise in New York City’s population and report the total figures for all three years accurately. You also select the key contrast between Manhattan and the other districts: Manhattan’s share falls from 76% to 19%, while the others’ combined share rises from 24% to 81%. However, some details are unclear or incomplete. Manhattan’s population rose to 1,850,093 in 1900 before falling to 1,538,096 in 2000, but this change is not clearly reported; “steadily in 1800” does not describe a trend. The description of the other districts focuses on percentages rather than their population figures. A clearer overview and more precise reporting of these changes would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the total population, Manhattan, and the other districts. Time markers such as “In 1800,” “In 1900,” and “After that” help show sequence. However, progression is weakened by unclear links and repetitive phrasing. “On other side” does not clearly introduce a comparison, and “Instead of other year” makes the relationship between the years difficult to follow. The final paragraph repeats the rise in the other districts’ share rather than adding a distinct concluding comparison. Organise the body around the main contrast—Manhattan versus the other districts—and use linking phrases that express the relationship accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “total population,” “districts,” and “percentage,” and the reader can generally identify the topic. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning unclear. For example, “were grow,” “were go up,” and “were fluctuates” do not express population trends naturally; “steadily” is also unsuitable for describing a single year. The phrase “population %” is imprecise, and “19$” appears to be a symbol error for 19%. Use standard trend language such as “increased,” “declined,” “accounted for,” and “share of the city’s population,” and check spelling and capitalisation of place names.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts both simple and longer sentence forms, and the main figures and broad comparisons can usually be understood. However, grammatical errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships difficult to interpret. Subject–verb agreement and verb forms are problematic in phrases such as “the second and third tables illustrates,” “the population … were grow,” and “it were jump.” Articles and sentence construction are also weak in “In 1800 year” and “the first district … Manhattan steadily in 1800 year.” Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, including unnecessary capitals after commas and the comma after “obvious.” Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build complete sentences, for example: “Manhattan’s population rose to … in 1900, then fell to … by 2000.”

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