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 given data demonstrates the change in the number of American citizens from 1800 to 2000. It also shows the change in average proportion of individuals in the five districts.

Overall, the data shows that from first two centuries the ratio of individuals is more in Manhattan districts than the other districts. But, in the ninteenth century the percentage of increase in population in four districts in more than Manhattan.

In detail, in the seventeenth century the total number of the general populace of the five districts of New York is 79,216. In the eighteenth century the total population is about 3,337,202 and in ninteenth century it shows a rapid increase in its amount. In number it is about 8,009,185.

The population of district Manhattan in these centuries is about 60,515, 1,850,093 and 1,538,096 respectively. As proportion of the total population is about 76% in seventeenth century. It is 54% in eighteenth and about 19% in the ninteenth century.

The population of the other four districts is less than Manhattan in the given first two centuries. In numbers it comprises from 18,701 and 1,587,109 respectively. In ninteenth century, the amount increases and goes to 6,471,089. The average ratio of population in these districts is about 24%, 46% and 81% respectively. 81% is the higher percentage of the population in any of the centuries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad population growth and the shift in the districts’ shares, and you include several relevant figures, such as Manhattan’s fall from 1,850,093 to 1,538,096 and the other districts’ rise to 6,471,089. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: Manhattan had the larger share in 1800 and 1900, but the other districts overtook it by 2000, not in the nineteenth century. The total for 1900 is also reported as 3,337,202 rather than 3,437,202. In addition, the years are repeatedly mislabelled as the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; the data covers 1800, 1900 and 2000. These inaccuracies and the limited comparison of the main changes leave the task only partly addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate paragraphs for the total population, Manhattan and the other districts. This helps the reader locate the information. However, progression is weakened by unclear time references and some repetitive reporting. For example, the overview says “from first two centuries” and later refers to the “ninteenth century,” making the comparisons difficult to follow. Linking phrases such as “In detail” and “In numbers” are used, but they do not always clarify how the figures relate to one another. Organise the body around the three actual years, and use explicit comparisons—for example, contrast Manhattan’s declining population after 1900 with the continued growth elsewhere—to create a clearer line of development.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “population,” “proportion,” “percentage” and “rapid increase,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing tables. “Average proportion” does not describe the figures, which are shares of the total, while “general populace” and “amount” are imprecise for population data. Repeated use of “individuals” also makes the account less direct. Spelling errors such as “ninteenth” are noticeable, and “districts” is sometimes used where you mean the people living in them. Choose precise terms consistently, such as “population,” “share” and “accounted for,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, and the response is divided into complete paragraphs. However, grammatical errors are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. For example, “from first two centuries the ratio of individuals is more” has an incomplete time expression and an awkward comparative structure; “the percentage of increase … in more than Manhattan” is also difficult to parse. There are problems with articles and prepositions in phrases such as “in the given first two centuries,” as well as inconsistent tense choices when describing historical data. Sentence patterns are often repetitive, and attempts to combine ideas do not always produce accurate clauses. Practise clear comparative forms and past-tense reporting, then proofread each sentence for a complete, correctly linked structure.

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.