Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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)

These charts illustrates the total number of population and compares the percentage proportion of five different districts of New York- Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island in overall growth in the last three centuries.

First of all, average number of population in all five districts increased upto tenfold during the recent years. As for the percentage contribution, Manhattan took upto 70% of New York population in 1800 which experience an unexpected downfall in the next centuries.

In 1800, the other districts population was 18,701 which took upto almost 24% of the overall percentage after that it soars to great heights and reached upto 81% of the whole population.

Overall, these graphs showed that population in New york city kept on increasing at an alarming rate in the recent years.

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, so the response includes relevant features. However, the figures are not consistently accurate: Manhattan accounted for 76% in 1800, not “up to 70%,” and its share fell to 54% in 1900 and 19% in 2000. The statement that the total increased “tenfold” is also imprecise: it rose from 79,216 to 8,009,185, which is far more than tenfold. The response omits key comparisons, including the total figures and Manhattan’s absolute population decline after 1900. It is also 20 words below the required minimum. Report the main values accurately and develop the overview with specific comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence, moving from an introduction to population trends and then a concluding overview. Linking phrases such as “First of all,” “As for,” and “Overall” help signal this structure. However, the progression is limited: the discussion shifts between total population, district shares, and the other districts without clearly grouping or comparing the data. The second and third sentences repeat the idea of growth rather than building a fuller account of the three years. Paragraphing is also absent, and “after that” does not specify which year or change it refers to. Organise the response into a clear introduction, overview, and detail paragraphs, using precise references to the years to make the relationships easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of task-related vocabulary, including “percentage contribution,” “downfall,” “soars,” and “overall growth,” and the general topic remains understandable. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing statistical data. “Average number of population” does not accurately describe the total, while “alarming rate” adds an unsupported judgement. “Took up to” is awkward when reporting a share, and “downfall” is less suitable than a neutral term such as “decline.” There is also repetition of “population” and “overall.” Use precise, neutral language for figures and trends, and choose collocations commonly used in data reports, such as “accounted for,” “rose,” and “fell.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentence forms, including “Manhattan took up to 70% … which experience an unexpected downfall,” but grammatical control is inconsistent. The opening has subject–verb disagreement: “These charts illustrates” should be “These charts illustrate.” In the same sentence, “compares” does not agree with the plural subject, and the construction around “percentage proportion … in overall growth” is difficult to follow. Verb forms are also faulty in “which experience,” where the past-tense context requires “experienced.” The sentence beginning “In 1800” contains a long sequence of clauses joined without clear control. Check agreement and tense, and use shorter, accurately punctuated sentences before attempting more complex structures.

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