Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-29

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 first population table illustrates the differents in the total inhabitants of new york city from the years 1800 to 2000. The second and third data table evaluate the major changes in the residents of the five districts of the city over the same period.

Firstlly in the year 1800, the citizens of new york was around eighty thousand while after one century the population of all five districts was nearby 35 lakhs which was huge increase. Moreover, in the year 2000, population was around 80lakhs .

Secondly, in the manhattan city, in 1800 year, the inhabitants ratio was 76% but in other four districts the percentage was just 24% . The number of people in manhattan district was 54% while in the other citys the number of people was 46%. The population decline in manhattan district and other districts raito increase 81%.

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 information. However, the account is only partial and lacks a clear, complete overview of the main changes. The 1900 total is described as “nearby 35 lakhs,” which is inaccurate: it was 3,437,202, or about 34 lakhs. You also do not report that Manhattan’s population rose to 1,850,093 in 1900 before falling to 1,538,096 in 2000; the final sentence gives the changing share unclearly. The response is 143 words, below the required 150. Add a concise overview and accurately compare the key figures and trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: the opening introduces the tables, and “Firstly” and “Secondly” signal a move from total population to district shares. This gives the reader some sense of structure. However, progression is limited because the paragraphs do not develop a clear overview followed by well-organised comparisons. The sentence “The number of people in manhattan district was 54%” confuses population with percentage, and the final sentence combines two trends without clearly linking them. Use separate sentences to compare the three years, and connect each figure explicitly to either population or share. A clear overview paragraph and consistent sequencing would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “population,” “inhabitants,” “percentage,” and “districts,” and the reader can generally identify the subject. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning unclear. For example, “differents” is not the appropriate noun here, “evaluate” does not naturally describe what a table presents, and “other citys” is an imprecise reference to the other districts. “Population decline” is also misleading for Manhattan across the full period, since its population first increased and then fell. Choose precise terms such as “population figures,” “accounted for,” and “share,” and check spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response uses mostly simple sentence patterns, with a few attempts to add time clauses and contrast, such as “while after one century.” These attempts show some effort to vary sentence structure, but control is inconsistent. Errors include subject–verb agreement in “the citizens … was,” missing or misplaced articles in phrases such as “in the year 2000, population,” and awkward sentence construction in “The population decline in manhattan district and other districts raito increase 81%.” Punctuation and spacing around figures are also inconsistent. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and comparison structures, for example, “Manhattan’s share fell from 76% to 19%, while the other districts’ share rose.”

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.