Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-15
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 FIRST TABLE ILLUSTRATE THE CHANGES IN NUMBER OF INHABITANTS OF NEW YORK'S CITY BETWEEN 1800 AND 2000. WHEREAS THE OTHER TWO TABLES COMPARES THE CITIZENS OF FIVE DISTRICT DURING THE SAME YEARS.
OVERALL, THERE IS AN SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY WITH EACH FOLLOWING YEAR. HOWEVER, MANHATTAN POPULATION DECREASES WITH EACH PASSING YEAR AS COMPARE TO THE OTHER DISTRICTS. THE UNIT USED FOR MEASUREMENT IS PERCENTAGE.
ON ONE HAND, POPULATION OF THE CITY WAS 79,216 IN THE YEAR 1800 WHICH INCREASE ALMOST THREE TIMES IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR. WHILE IN 2000, THE COUNT REACHES TO 80 LAC.
ON THE OTHER HAND, THE PERCENTAGE OF THE PEOPLE LIVING IN MANHATTAN WAS 76% IN 1800 AND IT GRADUALLY DECLINE WITH THE FOLLOWING YEARS TO 54% AND THEN TO 19% IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER DISTRCITS THE DIGIT RISED ALMOST TWICE EACH YEAR INTIALLY 24% THEN 46% IN 1900 AND 81% IN THE NEXT YEAR.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the broad trends: New York’s population grew, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share rose. However, the report gives only partial coverage of the data and some key figures are inaccurate or unclear. The city total rose from 79,216 to 3,437,202 in 1900 and 8,009,185 in 2000; saying it “increase almost three times” does not accurately describe the first change, and “80 lac” is an imprecise rendering of the final total. The overview also says Manhattan’s population decreased with each year, but it actually rose substantially by 1900 before falling by 2000. Focus on the distinction between population totals and percentages, and report the main stages accurately.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details, and phrases such as “Overall” and “On the other hand” signal relationships between points. However, progression is not consistently clear: the final paragraph shifts between Manhattan and the other districts without clearly separating their figures, and “the following year” is confusing because the data points are decades apart. “On one hand” and “On the other hand” are also used mechanically rather than to organise a precise comparison. Group the city totals in one paragraph and the district figures in another, and use explicit year references and linking phrases to make each comparison easy to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “population,” “residents,” “percentage,” and “districts,” so the reader can generally identify the subject. However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “number of inhabitants of New York’s city,” “the digit rised,” and “80 lac.” Spelling errors, including “distrcits” and “intially,” also reduce precision. Some expressions are repeated rather than varied, and “citizens” is less suitable than “residents” when describing population figures. Aim for standard, precise terms for totals and proportions, and check spelling and collocations before submitting.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
There are attempts to combine ideas using clauses such as “Whereas the other two tables…” and “as compared with,” but sentence structures are limited and errors occur frequently. Subject–verb agreement is inconsistent: “The first table illustrate” and “the other two tables compares” should use plural verb forms. Articles and verb forms are also problematic in “there is an significant increase” and “it gradually decline.” The sentence beginning “While in 2000” is a fragment, and the final sentence contains unclear tense and clause connections. These errors sometimes make the intended comparisons difficult to interpret. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then add subordinate clauses while checking agreement, articles, and complete sentence 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.