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 tables represent the total population on New York City and how it's ditribute throw the five districts: Manhattan and other districts from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, New York City has known a huge increase of indivudels number since 1800 till 2000.

In 1800, 76% of the whole population lived in Manhattan. Fell to 54% by 1900, and decrease again to reach 19% by 2000.

In contrast, the citizens in other districts present only 24% of the total population by 1800, raise to reach 46% by 1900, than progressively increase to reach 81% by 2000.

Therefore, New York City population is living throw the 5 cities almost equally: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.

In conslusion, New York City's surface is used much better than before, and citizens used all districts instead of only one of them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad pattern that New York City’s population grew and that Manhattan’s share fell while the other districts’ share rose. The percentages you give match the tables. However, the response only partly reports the key information: it omits the actual city population figures and the important fact that Manhattan’s population rose to 1,850,093 in 1900 before falling to 1,538,096 in 2000, even as the city total continued to grow. The claim that the population was distributed “almost equally” across the five districts is not supported by the data, which group four districts together. The comments about the city’s surface being “used much better” are also speculative. The response is below the required 150 words, and the overview and comparisons need fuller, more accurate development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable sequence: an introduction, an overall statement, comparisons between Manhattan and the other districts, and a concluding comment. “In contrast” helps signal the shift between the two groups. However, progression is limited because the response does not organise the figures into a fuller comparison of the three years, and the final two sentences introduce unsupported ideas rather than developing the data summary. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated “reach” and the sequence “than progressively increase.” The sentence beginning “Fell to 54%” is a fragment, which interrupts the flow. Group the information into clear paragraphs and connect each comparison directly to the relevant year and population figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary, including “total population,” “districts,” “percentage,” and “in contrast,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors make parts of the response difficult to interpret, such as “ditribute,” “indivudels,” and “conslusion.” Phrases such as “population is living throw the 5 cities” and “surface is used much better” are not natural or precise ways to describe the tables. Use standard terms such as “accounted for,” “share,” and “population increased,” and avoid adding interpretations about land use that the data do not show. Check spelling carefully and choose collocations suited to describing statistical trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few different sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “In contrast,” but the range is limited and errors occur frequently. “The tables represent the total population on New York City” uses an incorrect preposition, while “New York City has known a huge increase” has an unsuitable verb construction. “Fell to 54% by 1900” is not a complete sentence, and “citizens … present only 24%” has an incorrect verb pattern. The final sentence also has an unclear structure: “citizens used all districts instead of only one of them.” These problems sometimes make the intended meaning harder to follow. Practise complete sentences with accurate past-tense verbs, and use clear comparative structures such as “Manhattan’s share fell from … to ….”

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.