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 foremost chart demonstrates the transformation of entire population of New York City beginning from 1800 till 2000; meanwhile, two other tables provide the alteration in population in five different areas throughout the same period.

Overall, number of inhabitants increase dramatically in New York city in two decades. Manhattan in initial years contributed as the most populated city; however, its figures decreses by the time to ninetheen.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the subject and period, and your overview attempts to highlight the overall population increase and Manhattan’s changing importance. However, the response reports almost none of the table’s key information: it gives no population figures, omits the growth of the other four districts, and does not compare the three years. The statement that the population increased “in two decades” is inaccurate: the data cover two centuries, from 1800 to 2000. Manhattan was the largest component in 1800 and 1900, but its population fell only between 1900 and 2000, while the other districts grew substantially. The response is also 83 words below the required minimum. Add a clear overview and select figures that support the main comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, sensible order: an introductory sentence is followed by an overview, and “Overall” and “however” signal the relationship between ideas. This gives the reader a simple framework, but the answer is too brief to develop a clear progression through the tables. The overview combines several points in one sentence without explaining how the citywide trend relates to the district figures. For example, after noting Manhattan’s early prominence, you could contrast its later decline with the rise in the combined population of the other districts. Use separate, purposeful paragraphs for the introduction, overview and selected comparisons, and connect those comparisons with clear references to the relevant years.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt some formal and topic-related vocabulary, including “transformation,” “inhabitants” and “contributed,” and the general subject remains understandable. However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise for describing population data: “foremost chart” and “alteration in population” do not sound idiomatic, while “contributed as the most populated city” obscures the intended comparison between districts. There is also a spelling error in “decreses” and a misspelling in “ninetheen.” Aim for precise, conventional data-reporting language such as “the table shows,” “population rose,” and “accounted for.” A wider set of accurate terms for increases, decreases, proportions and comparisons would make the report clearer and more appropriate to the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a compound sentence with “meanwhile” and a contrast clause introduced by “however,” showing an attempt to connect ideas rather than relying only on short statements. However, errors in basic sentence forms reduce accuracy. In “number of inhabitants increase,” the noun phrase needs an article and the verb should agree and reflect the past data: “the number of inhabitants increased.” “Manhattan in initial years contributed as…” also lacks a natural grammatical structure; a clearer form is “In the early years, Manhattan was the most populous district.” The phrase “by the time to ninetheen” is not grammatically complete. Practise accurate articles, subject–verb agreement and past-tense reporting, then use a few controlled complex sentences to compare the years.

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