Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-12

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 provided table describes the information of population between 1800 and 2000. Total population of new york city and their five districts including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island.

Initially, new york total population in 1800 was 79,216 during two decades population reached 8,009,185 in 2000 which is drastically changed. however, major part of population belongs to Manhattan which around 76% of population 60,515 in 1800, while after two decades number of population were declined with only 19% with the number of 1,538,096. additionally in 1900 this was at 54%.

On the other hand, other four districts had slightly icreased during time period of 1800 and 2000. contrally only 24% of population with the number of 18,701 with comparison to Manhattan has 52% ahead during this time. afterall these all districts had surge in their population during the first decade almost with double. Furthermore, passes with one more decade population increased 81% with the 6,471,089 in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad subject and include several relevant figures, especially Manhattan’s changing share and the rise in the other districts’ share. However, the account only partially reports the main features. The total population is given for 1800 and 2000, but the major increase to 3,437,202 in 1900 is omitted. The overview is also unclear: Manhattan’s population did not simply decline throughout; it rose sharply by 1900 before falling by 2000, while the other districts grew substantially. Some comparisons are inaccurate or confusing, such as saying the other districts increased only “slightly” and referring to “the first decade.” Select the three dates accurately and summarise the contrasting trends clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: the response begins with an introduction and uses “On the other hand” to signal a contrast between Manhattan and the other districts. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the overview is not clearly separated from the details, and several sentences combine figures and comparisons without a clear relationship. For example, “contrally only 24% … with comparison to Manhattan has 52% ahead” is hard to interpret, while “afterall these all districts” does not clearly refer to a specific trend. Linking words such as “additionally” and “Furthermore” are used, but they do not consistently clarify the sequence. Group the response into a clear overview and focused comparisons, and use precise references to each year.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant vocabulary, including “population,” “declined,” “surge,” and “increased,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning difficult to understand. For instance, “describes the information of population” is unnatural, “drastically changed” does not specify the direction of change, and “passes with one more decade” is unclear. There are also spelling errors such as “icreased” and “contrally,” alongside inconsistent capitalisation of “New York.” Aim for precise trend language and standard collocations, such as “the population rose sharply” and “accounted for a smaller share.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including comparisons introduced by “while” and “which,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in sentence structure, articles, agreement, and tense frequently make relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “Total population of new york city and their five districts including…” is a fragment, and “population reached 8,009,185” lacks a clear subject and comparison. In “other four districts had slightly icreased,” the construction is incomplete for describing a trend, while “Manhattan has 52% ahead” does not form a grammatical comparison. Punctuation and capitalisation also need attention, particularly after sentence openings such as “however.” Build accurate short sentences first, then combine them with controlled clauses.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.