Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-23

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 illustrates the total population of new york from 1800 to 2000 and five districts of the city ( manhattan, brooklyn, queens, staten island ) over the same period.

Overall, new york city shows most dramatically increase in the recent years. 80000 people increase in 1800 and more than 8 million people in 2000. 1900 shows most significant increase in population.

In manhattan, 1800 lower number of population is 70000 and higer number of total population that is 76%. 1900 show moderate number of population. In 2000 change in the population of city is 16 million and total number of population is 19%.

others districts, in 1800 total number of population is 18000 while 1900 shown significanitialy increase that is 1587,109. 2000 was represents the total number of population is 81% that is much higer than other years.

overall, the city shows substanial expansion in the new york cities and significantily increase in the population during the year of 1900 to 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad topic and include an overview that population increased, especially by 2000, and you compare Manhattan with the other districts. However, the response only partially reports the key information, and several figures are inaccurate or unclear. For example, Manhattan had 60,515 residents in 1800, not 70,000, and its population in 2000 was about 1.54 million, not “16 million.” The total population in 1800 was 79,216, rather than an increase of 80,000. You also omit the total for 1900 and do not clearly explain that Manhattan’s share fell from 76% to 19%, while the other districts’ share rose to 81%. Select accurate figures and make these main trends explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to Manhattan and the other districts, so the reader can identify the broad areas being discussed. However, progression within paragraphs is often unclear, and the final overview repeats earlier general statements rather than synthesising the comparisons. Some links between figures and their meaning are missing: for instance, “80000 people increase in 1800” does not clearly state whether this is a population total or a change. The repeated use of “overall,” “in 1800,” and “in 2000” also makes the organisation feel mechanical. Group the data by time period or by contrasting trends, and use clear references such as “this share” to connect each figure to its subject.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “population,” “increase,” “total,” and “percentage,” and you attempt more formal terms such as “significant” and “expansion.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms make the meaning difficult to follow. Phrases such as “most dramatically increase,” “moderate number of population,” and “significanitialy increase” are not natural or precise descriptions. Spelling errors, including “higer,” “substanial,” and “significantily,” are also noticeable. Build a reliable set of data-reporting expressions and check spelling and word forms; for example, describe a population as “rose sharply” or “declined,” and refer to a district’s “share of the total.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt a few different sentence patterns, including an overview and separate sentences for each district, but most sentences rely on simple structures and frequent grammatical errors sometimes obscure the intended meaning. Examples include “new york city shows most dramatically increase,” “1800 lower number of population is,” and “2000 was represents.” These show problems with articles, sentence construction, and verb forms. There are also incomplete or awkwardly formed comparisons, such as “1900 show moderate number of population.” Use complete subject–verb sentences, maintain past tense when reporting historical data, and practise patterns such as “The population rose from X to Y” and “Manhattan accounted for X% of the total.”

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