Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-26

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 Population distribution in newyork in all the five discreats Brooklyn, bronx, queens and staten island in the years of 1800 ,1900 and 2000, showing the percentage that each discreat has in those psifisic years.

At 1800, the population of new york city was 79216 citizen, most of them lived in Manhattan with a percentage of 76%, so 60515 citizens, the other 24% meaning 18701 lived in the other providences. After 100 years the calculations now show that the population has increased to [redacted phone] humans, more than half of them 54% lived in Manhattan, in the other hand the nearly other half 46%([redacted phone] citizens) choose to remain in the other quarters. In the begging of the 21s century it occurs that most of new york citiy is now living in the other discreats besides Manhattan with a percentage of 81% [redacted phone] people ,while 19% equals [redacted phone] persons were living in Manhattan. At 1800 most of neyyorkers were in manhatten however in the last 200 years newyork population have changed and now its disturbed in all the 5 providences.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report the main population figures for all three years and identify the key shift: Manhattan’s share falls from 76% to 19%, while the other districts’ share rises to 81%. This gives the reader a relevant account of the changing distribution. However, the overview is not sufficiently clear or precise: saying the population is “now its disturbed in all the 5 providences” does not accurately explain that most residents came to live outside Manhattan. There is also a factual error in the 1900 figure for the other districts: the table gives 1,587,109, not 1,507,109. The response mainly lists figures, with little comparison of the overall city’s growth or Manhattan’s population peak and subsequent decline. State the main trends clearly and check figures against the table.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a broadly chronological order, moving from 1800 to 1900 and then 2000, so the reader can follow the time sequence. You also use some linking expressions, such as “After 100 years” and “In the beginning of the 21st century.” However, the answer is presented as one long paragraph, and the opening repeats information rather than establishing a concise overview. Connections such as “in the other hand” are inaccurate, while the final sentence repeats the earlier contrast without clearly summarising the trends. Organise the response into an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph or paragraphs, and use linking phrases to show comparisons and changes rather than simply moving between dates.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant terms for describing data, including “population,” “percentage,” “increased,” and “lived,” and the meaning is generally recoverable. However, vocabulary is limited and several word choices or spellings make the report less clear or less appropriate in an academic context. For example, “citizen” and “humans” are not natural ways to describe population figures, and “choose to remain” suggests a deliberate decision that the table does not show. There are also repeated misspellings, including “discreats,” “providences,” and “manhatten.” Use standard place names and precise population-reporting language, and proofread spelling carefully. Avoid adding interpretations that are not supported by the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine information in longer sentences, including the sentence beginning “After 100 years,” and you use past-tense forms to describe the historical data. However, complex sentences are often difficult to follow because of errors in sentence structure, agreement, and punctuation. For instance, “the population of new york city was 79216 citizen” has a singular noun after a plural quantity, and “newyork population have changed” has incorrect subject–verb agreement. Several sentences run together, with commas joining complete ideas, and the final phrase “now its disturbed” is grammatically unclear. Use shorter, controlled sentences when reporting figures, check singular and plural forms, and separate complete clauses with full stops or appropriate conjunctions.

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