Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-18

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 provided tables illustrates the changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000.Whereas, changes in the popluation of the five districts of the different cities (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) over the same period.

Overall, it is clear that in New York City Population is represented the highest figure in 2000 Moreover, Manhattan and remaining cities also showed the highest percentage in the same year.

Turning to the first category, New York City showed the highest population in 2000 represented as 8,009,185. While, In 1800 it stood at ,79,216. Furthermore, In 1900, population accounted for highest proportion by stood at 1,850,093 , as per total population represented 19%. Although, total population is stood at 60,515 in 1800 but as per percentage of total population amounted to 76%.

Turning to the remaining categories, the all other cities amounted for 6,471,089 in 2000 and presented the total proportion as 81%. Nerverthless, in 1800 or 1900 the population showed 18,701 and 1,587,109 but as per total population it respresented as 24% and 46%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad rise in New York City’s population and include figures for the city and the district groupings, so the response is relevant to the tables. However, the overview is unclear and contains a key misreading: Manhattan did not have its highest percentage in 2000; its share fell from 76% in 1800 to 19% in 2000. The 1900 figure of 1,850,093 is Manhattan’s population, not the city’s total, and the sentence describing it as the “highest proportion” confuses population with percentage. The response also misses the important contrast that Manhattan’s population declined after 1900 while the other districts grew sharply. Select and compare the main trends accurately, then support them with correctly labelled figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to the city figures and then the other districts. This gives the reader some organisation, but progression is difficult to follow because the information is not grouped or compared consistently. For example, the paragraph beginning “Turning to the first category” shifts between the city total and Manhattan’s figures without clearly signalling the change. Connectors such as “Furthermore,” “Although,” and “Nevertheless” are sometimes used where the relationship between ideas is unclear or contradictory. Use one paragraph for the overall city trend and another for the contrasting district trends, and make each transition show a clear comparison or time sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “population,” “percentage,” “total,” and “accounted for,” and the main subject remains understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes obscures the data. Phrases such as “population is represented the highest figure,” “cities amounted for,” and “presented the total proportion” are not natural ways to describe statistical information. There are also spelling errors, including “popluation,” “Nerverthless,” and “respresented.” Use precise reporting verbs and distinguish clearly between a population figure and a share of the total. Proofreading spelling and choosing standard chart language would make the account clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses beginning with “Whereas” and “Although,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in agreement and verb forms appear in “The provided tables illustrates” and “total population is stood,” while several sentence fragments or incomplete constructions make relationships hard to follow, such as “Whereas, changes in the population…” and “While, In 1800 it stood at…”. Punctuation and sentence boundaries are also unreliable, including the missing space after “2000.” and awkward comma placement around figures. Aim for complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement, tense, and punctuation. A simpler, accurate comparison is more effective than a complex sentence whose structure is faulty.

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