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 given first chart illustrate the population has changed in new york city over the period of 1800 to 2000 While 2nd and 3rd Tables are presenting the Changes in papulation in 5 other districts of the city from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, The population had been grown between 1800 to 2000 in new york city. However , Manhattan's population declined graduately over the time but in Other districts the population change in new york city were increased.

About Chart frist, it is show the changes in population were ros from 79216 in 1800 to [redacted phone] in 19000, followed by [redacted phone] in 2000.

Manhattan had hightest amount of population changes in 1800 while it was decreased and stood at 54% in 1900 which is reduction in following year in 2000. The population had changed in other districts was 24%, 46% and 81% in 1800, 1900 and 2000 respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad rise in New York City’s population and note the contrasting pattern for Manhattan and the other districts. However, the account is only partial: it gives the city totals, but the district discussion relies mainly on percentages and omits the actual population figures. It also says Manhattan’s population “declined” without clearly reporting that it rose sharply from 60,515 in 1800 to 1,850,093 in 1900 before falling to 1,538,096 in 2000. The overview is present but vague, and some details are unclear or inaccurate, such as “population changes” for population shares. The response is also two words below the required minimum. Include the key district figures and describe the contrasting trends precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and details about the city and districts. The sequence from the total population to Manhattan and the other districts is generally understandable, and “Overall” and “However” signal a contrast. However, progression within the details is limited, and the paragraphing does not clearly separate the main comparisons. Some links are awkward or unclear, particularly “About Chart frist” and “which is reduction in following year,” so the reader has to infer how the figures relate. Organise the body around a clear comparison—first the city total, then the district trends—and use accurate references such as “the latter” or “by contrast” to connect ideas without making the relationships ambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “population,” “declined,” “stood at,” and “respectively,” which helps communicate the topic. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make parts difficult to understand: “papulation,” “ros,” “hightest,” and “graduately.” Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “population changes” when you mean population shares or percentages, and “the population change … were increased.” Use precise terms for the data and vary the language for trends, for example, “accounted for” when describing a share and “rose” or “fell” for population figures. Careful proofreading of spelling and collocations would make the report clearer and more appropriate for an academic summary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “However” and a sequence using “followed by.” Nevertheless, errors are frequent, and some sentences are difficult to follow. For example, “The given first chart illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, while “the population had been grown” uses an incorrect verb form. The opening sentence also runs together several ideas without clear punctuation, and capitalisation is inconsistent. In “Manhattan had … while it was decreased,” the passive construction does not express the intended change naturally. Practise accurate past-tense reporting with forms such as “the population rose” and “Manhattan’s share fell,” and check agreement, articles, sentence boundaries, and punctuation.

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.