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 information in table shows data from 1800 to 2000 changes population in the new york city and other cities of different districs .

According to given information,In 2000 81% population in other four districes including brooklyb, Bronx, Queens and State island, whie 19% in Manthattan distric and new york show at highest population which was 8,009,185.In Adition to, New York and other four districts shows least papulation in 1800 but in this year Manhattan papulation is highest which is 76%.In the year of 1900 others districts show 46% of total papulation and Manhattan and new york discribe more papulation as campaer to others.Mahattan total papulayion in 1900 become 54% which is rise then other four districs but low as compare to new york.

Overall, New York and other four districs highly papulated in 2000 whilen Mahattan is only 19% papulated.On the other hand in 1800 Mahattan is highly papulated distric as campaers to others districs.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource4.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important comparisons, including Manhattan’s declining share (76% in 1800 to 19% in 2000) and the other districts’ growth to 81% by 2000. The figures you include are generally grounded in the tables. However, coverage is partial: the overall city population figures are not compared across all three years, and the 1900 discussion is unclear—“Manhattan and new york describe more population as compare to others” does not explain that Manhattan had 54% while the other districts had 46%. The overview repeats the 1800 and 2000 contrast rather than summarising the full pattern. Select the main changes more clearly and explain the 1900 turning point, including that Manhattan’s population fell by 2000 while the other districts continued to grow.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: the response begins with an introduction, moves through the years, and ends with an overall statement. The reader can also follow the broad contrast between Manhattan and the other districts. However, progression is not consistently clear because several comparisons are compressed into long sentences, and the overview repeats points already made. Linking phrases such as “In addition to” and “On the other hand” do not always show the relationship between the data accurately. Referencing is also unclear in phrases such as “this year” and “New York and other four districts,” which can make it difficult to tell whether you mean the city total or the districts. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and key details, and organise comparisons by year or trend.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You attempt task-relevant vocabulary such as “population,” “total,” “highest,” and “compared,” and you use percentage language to report the tables. However, the range is limited and repeated, while frequent spelling errors—such as “papulation,” “districes,” “Manthattan,” and “campaer”—make the response harder to read. Some word choices are also inaccurate or unnatural: “highly populated” does not clearly express that a population increased, and “New York” is used where “New York City” or “the city’s total population” would be more precise. Build a small set of accurate trend terms, such as “rose,” “declined,” “accounted for,” and “share,” and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts both simple and more extended sentences, including comparisons across years, but control is inconsistent. Errors in sentence structure and verb forms occur frequently, as in “The given information in table shows data from 1800 to 2000 changes population” and “Manhattan total population in 1900 become 54%.” Articles and agreement are also often missing or incorrect, for example “In 2000 81% population” and “other four districts shows.” Punctuation and spacing around sentence openings and commas further affect readability. Practise building clear comparison sentences with a subject, accurate verb, and complete data relationship—for example, “In 1900, Manhattan accounted for 54% of the city’s population, compared with 46% in the other districts.”

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