Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-19

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 highlights the changes in the total population of New York city from the year 1800 to 2000. While, the second and third tables illustrates the differences in the population of the five districts of the city ( Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) over the same period.

Overall, the population in five districts in New York City is highest in the year 2000. And the population was lowest in the year of 1800.

Concurrently, Manhattan has the highest population during 1900 and other four districts has significantly highest in 2000.

In New York city (all five districts), the highest population was in the year 2000 with 8,009,185 number of population. followed by, in the year 1900 with the second most populated city with 3,437,202. And, the population was lowest in 1800 with only 79,216.

Whereas, Manhattan population was highest in 1900 with [redacted phone] by 54% and in the year 2000 and 1800 the population was 1,538,096 with 19% and 60,515 with 76%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad rise in New York City’s population and correctly report the total figures for 1800, 1900 and 2000. You also note Manhattan’s peak in 1900 and its lower share by 2000. However, the response addresses the tables only partially: it gives no figures or trend for the other districts, whose combined population rose to 6,471,089 (81%) in 2000, and the overview does not clearly compare the changing shares. The statement that the other districts were highest in 2000 is relevant but underdeveloped. The response is 134 words, below the 150-word minimum; 30 words copied from the prompt were not counted. Add a concise comparison of the other districts and their share of the total.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the total population and Manhattan. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “Overall” and “Whereas” attempt to signal relationships. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph stops after Manhattan and does not cover the other-district data. Several links are awkward or repetitive, including “followed by” and “And” in the total-population paragraph, while “Whereas” introduces a fragment rather than a complete contrast. The overview is split into short statements that do not form a clear comparison. Group the information by the overall trend and then by district, using clear links to show how Manhattan contrasts with the other districts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “total population,” “districts,” “highest,” and “lowest,” and the main figures remain understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise. “The second and third tables illustrates the differences” does not describe the data naturally, and “with 8,009,185 number of population” is an awkward collocation. Repeated use of “population” and “highest” also makes the report less precise. Use terms such as “accounted for,” “share,” “combined population,” and “rose” to describe the figures and changes more efficiently. Check capitalisation of “New York City” and write large numbers consistently with commas.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few different sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “While” and a comparison beginning “Whereas.” However, control is uneven, and errors occur in basic sentence construction as well as in longer attempts. For example, “While, the second and third tables illustrates” has incorrect punctuation and subject–verb agreement; “And the population was lowest” is an awkward sentence opening, and “other four districts has” also has agreement and article errors. The final sentence is difficult to follow because it combines several years and figures without a clear grammatical structure. Practise writing complete, direct comparison sentences, checking singular and plural subjects, and separating each year’s figure into a clear clause.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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