Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-13

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 table illustrate the significant changes in total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000,while other is about changes population of the five districts.

Overall, The all five Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island New York City total population are 79,216 in the lastly year 1800 , However it has increase in 1900 by total population 3,437,202 Furthermore In 2000 it grow rapidly and had 8,009,185.

In the Manhattan city the total population are 76% in 1800 which has 60,515 people but in other districts it has less population than Manhattan only 18,701 and 24% of population are there in that year. After that in 1900 it has 1,850,093 which is 54% gradually in other cities it has 46% and 1,587,109 population . Throughout the 2000 year the cities has more population than than Manhattan it has only 19% and 1,538,096, But other districts has 81% and 6,471,089 ,which is the highest population than other years and Manhattan city .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main changes and include the key figures for all three years, including the city’s rise from 79,216 to 8,009,185 and the shift from Manhattan’s majority share to the other districts’ 81% by 2000. This gives the response relevant coverage of both tables. However, the overview is not clearly separated or expressed: the opening summary focuses on total growth, while the later comparison is embedded in a long paragraph. Some comparisons are also unclear, such as “the cities has more population than than Manhattan,” although the intended contrast is supported by the data. To strengthen the response, state the two main trends directly in a concise overview, then report the figures in a clearer sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic overall order: it introduces the tables, discusses total city growth, and then compares Manhattan with the other districts across the three years. Time markers such as “in 1800,” “in 1900,” and “Throughout the 2000 year” help signal the sequence. However, the paragraphing does not clearly distinguish the overview from the detailed comparisons, and several sentences run together or contain unclear references, for example “it has 1,850,093” and “the cities has more population.” Linking words such as “However,” “Furthermore,” and “After that” are sometimes awkwardly placed or overused. Use a separate overview paragraph and organise the details by year or by population group, with clear references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “total population,” “districts,” “percentage,” and “rapidly,” and the figures make your intended comparisons understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate, such as “lastly year,” “other cities” for the other districts, and “the highest population than.” Repetition of “population” and “has” also makes the description less precise. Aim for standard data-reporting phrases such as “accounted for,” “rose to,” “declined to,” and “the remaining districts.” Check that terms match the table: Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island are districts, not separate cities in this context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the reader can generally identify the figures and intended trends. However, control is uneven: errors in agreement and verb forms appear in “The table illustrate” and “it has increase,” while “the total population are 76%” confuses the grammatical relationship between population and share. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also unreliable, particularly in the long second paragraph, where commas join several independent ideas and capitalisation is inconsistent. These problems sometimes make the comparisons difficult to follow. Practise building shorter, complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use past-tense forms consistently when describing the historical data.

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