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 depicts the change in population size of New York city and its 5 districts between the time span of 200 years.

Overall, the number of people living in all five disticts grew rapidly between 1800 and 2000, with highest size occured in 2000.

In 1800, the total population of Manhattan climbed by 76%; whereas, the percentage in other districts (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) was only increased by 24%. Furthermore, the largest increase of population was seen in 1800 in Manhattan, with percentage of 76%. On the other hand, the most substantial growth of size was seen in other districts inh 2000, with figure of 6,471,089.

In addition to it, the figure of population was surged from 0.06 million to 1.538 million in Manhattan. However, in other districts this gradual increase was higher with the rose of people from 0.018 million to 6.4 million. On the whole, the New York city saw a dramatic increase in population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad rise in New York City’s population and note the shift from Manhattan towards the other districts, so the response is relevant to the tables. However, the task is only partly covered: the overview says population grew, but does not clearly compare the contrasting trends in Manhattan and the other districts. Some descriptions misread the data. The 76% and 24% figures are shares of the total population in 1800, not increases, and the other districts’ population did not rise to 6.4 million by 2000 from 0.018 million alone; it was 1,587,109 in 1900 and 6,471,089 in 2000. Include the city totals and accurately summarise the key changes across all three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an opening, an overview and further details, and connectors such as “Overall,” “Furthermore” and “On the other hand” show an attempt to guide the reader. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the third paragraph repeats the 1800 share comparison and then shifts to population figures without a clear organising principle. “In addition to it” is an awkward transition, while “On the whole” repeats the overview rather than adding a distinct conclusion. Group the information by trend—for example, first the citywide growth, then Manhattan’s decline after 1900 compared with the continued rise elsewhere—and use references that make each comparison easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “population,” “percentage,” “substantial growth” and “dramatic increase,” and the meaning is generally recoverable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing table data. “The population … climbed by 76%” confuses a population share with a change, while “the figure of population was surged” and “with the rose of people” are not natural collocations. There are also spelling errors such as “disticts” and “inh.” Aim for precise terms such as “accounted for,” “rose to,” and “declined,” and check spelling and word forms so that your vocabulary communicates the comparisons accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “whereas” and a sentence beginning “On the other hand.” However, errors are frequent, and some structures make the relationships between figures difficult to understand. For example, “the number of people … grew … with highest size occured” has problems with article use and verb form, and “the figure of population was surged” uses an incorrect passive construction. In “the percentage in other districts … was only increased,” the verb pattern is also faulty. Practise accurate past-tense reporting with forms such as “the population rose” and “Manhattan’s share fell,” and check articles, agreement and sentence punctuation when combining comparisons.

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