Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-16

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 illustrates the population change in New York city throughout several decades 1800 to 2000 while the 2 other table gives information about 5 different districts Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island located in New York city.

Looking at the first table explains that the number of living people in all these five districts escalated rapidly after 1800s. With population of 79,216 in 1800s as the New York city expand and and had several transformations the population kept increasing the number of people aiming for jobs and houses also escalated. The New York city was remarkably flourish till 2000s and population came on a high scale upto 8,009,185.

Briefly explained information about Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island. Manhattan was the most populated district as it was the main district of New York even in the 1800s and 1900s compared to other 4 districts which had one quater in 1800s and more than two fifths in 1900s whereas three quaters of people were in Manhattan. With the increase rate of film industry public figures and professional working class individuals the Manhattan population increased to 19% in 2000s nearly more than half of population of 4 districts included which was 81% in the 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad rise in New York City’s population and the shift in population share from Manhattan to the other districts, which are relevant main features. However, the account is only partial and some comparisons are inaccurate or unclear. Manhattan was the largest district in 1800 and 1900, but by 2000 the other four districts together accounted for 81% of the population, compared with Manhattan’s 19%; the response does not clearly explain this reversal. It also says Manhattan’s population increased to 19%, confusing its share with its population, which actually fell from 1,850,093 in 1900 to 1,538,096 in 2000. Focus on the table data and give a concise overview of both the city’s growth and the changing distribution.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure: it first discusses the citywide figures and then turns to the districts. This gives the reader some sense of organisation, and phrases such as “Looking at the first table” signal a change in focus. However, progression within the paragraphs is not consistently clear. The second paragraph mixes population figures with unsupported explanations about jobs and housing, while the final paragraph combines several comparisons in a long, difficult-to-follow sentence. The opening also repeats the task description rather than establishing the main trends. Organise the report around a clear overview followed by separate comparisons, and use precise references such as “Manhattan’s share” and “the other four districts” to make relationships easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing change, including “population,” “increased,” “compared to,” and “percentage,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unsuitable for a factual report. For example, “number of living people” is awkward, “the city was remarkably flourish” is not a natural expression, and “population came on a high scale” does not clearly describe the figure. “Aiming for jobs and houses” introduces an imprecise explanation rather than reporting the data. Use standard chart language such as “population rose,” “accounted for,” and “the proportion fell,” and avoid speculative causes that the tables do not provide.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts to use longer sentences and subordinate clauses, but complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some points difficult to interpret. For example, “the 2 other table gives” has number and agreement problems, while “as the New York city expand and and had” combines incompatible verb forms and repeats a conjunction. The sentence beginning “With population of 79,216” is a fragment, and the final comparison lacks clear grammatical links between its clauses. Articles, plurals, and tense control are also inconsistent, as in “in 1800s” and “in the 2000.” Build more accurate simple sentences first, then connect them with controlled clauses; check subject–verb agreement, past-tense forms, and sentence boundaries during revision.

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