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 table shows the changes in total population of new york, manhattan and other districts of US from 1800 to 2000.
Overall, it is clear that the population of new york is increasing rapidly throughout the period whereas manhattan population is not growing rapidly. The other districts saw a huge shift in their population.
Looking first at the figures of new york the population is the highest as compared to all the districts.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response identifies the broad trend that New York City’s population increased and notes that Manhattan did not continue growing, which is relevant to the tables. However, it reports almost none of the key evidence: the city’s rise from 79,216 to 8,009,185, Manhattan’s peak in 1900 followed by a decline, and the other districts’ growth to 81% of the total in 2000 are not explained. The statement that New York’s population is “the highest as compared to all the districts” is not a useful comparison, since the city total includes the districts. The response is also substantially below the required 150 words, leaving the task only minimally addressed. Develop the overview and support it with accurate figures and comparisons.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
There is a basic attempt at organisation: an opening sentence is followed by an overview beginning “Overall,” and then a move to specific figures with “Looking first.” These markers help the reader recognise the intended structure. However, the response ends before the comparison is developed, so there is no clear progression through the main data or a concluding comparison. The overview’s reference to a “huge shift” is not clarified, and the final sentence does not connect meaningfully to the district figures. Use separate paragraphs for the introduction, overview and key comparisons, and organise the data chronologically or by contrasting Manhattan with the other districts.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate a few basic observations, including “increasing rapidly,” “not growing rapidly” and “huge shift.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or repetitive: “population” and “rapidly” recur, while “huge shift” does not specify whether the change concerns population size or share. “The population is the highest as compared to all the districts” is also an awkward way to express a comparison. Use more precise terms such as “rose substantially,” “declined after 1900,” and “accounted for a larger share.” Capitalise proper names consistently, including “New York” and “Manhattan,” to improve presentation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response includes mostly understandable simple sentences and attempts a complex sentence with “whereas,” showing some structural variety. Several grammatical issues remain, however. In “the population of new york is increasing rapidly,” the present progressive is unsuitable for describing a completed period ending in 2000; use the past simple. “Manhattan population” needs a possessive or article, and “the population of new york” should use the proper-name capitalisation. The phrase “the population is the highest as compared to all the districts” is also awkwardly constructed. Vary sentence patterns while maintaining accurate past-tense reporting, and check articles, possessives and punctuation.
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