Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-21

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 given charts show the population of the new york city from 1800 to 2000

overall, the maximum population in the year 2000 approximatly [redacted phone]. and the minimum population in the year 1800 which was 79216. and the medium population in the years was 1900 accounted [redacted phone]. and in the other city like Manhattan and other districts { Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten island } is also show the population in the chart.

As compare to the manhattan and other districts the minimum population was in the year 1800 which was 60515 [76%] and 18701 [24%] in the parcentage 76% and 24%. the maximum population was in the Manhattan was [redacted phone] [54%] in the year 1900 and in the other districts it was [redacted phone] [81] in the year 2000. and the other in the manhattan and other districts the average population in the year 2000 and 1900 it was [redacted phone] [19%] and [redacted phone] [46%]

Conclution - the charts was in the increase year to year from the 1800 to 2000 it was constantly increase in the popultion.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the overall rise in New York City’s population and include figures for all three years, so the response contains relevant information from both tables. However, the overview is not fully accurate: saying the population “constantly increase[d]” overlooks Manhattan’s decline from 1,850,093 in 1900 to 1,538,096 in 2000. Some comparisons are also unclear or mislabelled. For example, 1,587,109 is the population of the other districts in 1900, not an “average,” while 6,471,089 belongs to those districts in 2000. The key shift in population share—from Manhattan’s majority in 1800 and 1900 to the other districts’ 81% in 2000—deserves clearer emphasis and explanation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence: it introduces the tables, reports some figures, and ends with a concluding statement. This gives the reader a general sense of the topic. However, the information is not grouped into a clear overview followed by organised comparisons, and the second paragraph moves between years and districts without a consistent pattern. Phrases such as “As compare to” and “and the other in the manhattan” do not clearly signal how the figures relate. The conclusion repeats the general increase rather than drawing together the main contrast. Use separate paragraphs for the overall population trend and the district comparison, and connect each figure explicitly to its year and category.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “population,” “districts,” “maximum,” and “minimum,” and you attempt to describe comparisons and proportions. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which makes some information difficult to interpret. “Medium population” is not the appropriate term for the middle year’s figure, and “average population” incorrectly describes a single recorded value. “The charts was in the increase” also shows difficulty selecting natural vocabulary and phrasing. Spelling errors such as “approximatly,” “parcentage,” “Conclution,” and “popultion” further reduce clarity. Aim for precise reporting language such as “rose,” “accounted for,” and “share of the total.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to form longer sentences and include comparisons, but sentence structures are often incomplete or faulty, and errors frequently make relationships between figures unclear. For example, “overall, the maximum population in the year 2000 approximatly 8009185” has no main verb, while “the charts was in the increase” has incorrect agreement and an unclear construction. Articles and prepositions are also often missing or misplaced, as in “population of the new york city” and “in the Manhattan was.” Punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent, particularly in the long second paragraph. Build accuracy first with complete subject–verb sentences, then combine related facts using controlled clauses such as “while” or “whereas.”

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