Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-02
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 table illustrate changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000. The second and third tables illustrate changes in the population of the five district of the city (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island) over the period. Overall, the New York City year of population is 1800 to 2000 is 79216 to [redacted phone]. Now, i would like to Manhattan district 1800 year population is 60515 and total population percentage is 76%. 1900 population is [redacted phone] and total population is 54% than after 2000 population is [redacted phone] is and total population 19%. On the other hand, other district Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island they all have population 1800 to [redacted phone]1 is total population 24%, [redacted phone] is total population 46%, and [redacted phone] is total population si 81%. However, in New York City there are all five district as percentage of total population expect Manhattan but, others four district is and one of the reached peak of percentage of total population is 2000 81%. In conclusion, i think one of the most population is 2000 are really increase because their percentage is a highest 81% rather than other district.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You include the main subject and several accurate figures, including Manhattan’s 76%, 54% and 19% shares and the other districts’ rise to 81% by 2000. However, the response only partially reports the tables: it gives the city’s 1800 and 2000 totals but omits the 1900 total, and does not clearly describe the overall growth from 79,216 to 8,009,185. The key contrast—that Manhattan’s population peaked in 1900 and then fell, while the combined population of the other districts rose substantially—is present only indirectly and needs a clear overview. The conclusion that 2000 had the “most population” is imprecise. Select the main trends and compare them explicitly rather than listing figures without explaining their significance.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
There is some organisation: the response introduces the tables, discusses Manhattan, then the other districts, and ends with a conclusion. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the overview is unclear and the body largely strings figures together. Phrases such as “Now, i would like to” and “However” do not establish useful relationships between the information, while “In conclusion” repeats an unclear claim rather than summarising the main trends. The reference to “they all” is also ambiguous because the figures describe the four other districts collectively. Use distinct paragraphs for an overview and the key comparisons, and connect each figure to a clear trend so the reader can follow the changes across the three years.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The response uses relevant basic terms such as “population,” “percentage,” “district” and “increase,” and the reader can identify the topic and many figures. However, the vocabulary is limited and repetitive, with “population” and “total population” repeated frequently. Several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, including “year of population,” “reached peak of percentage,” and “the most population.” These choices sometimes make the intended comparison unclear. Use more precise task vocabulary, such as “population share,” “accounted for,” “rose,” “declined” and “combined population,” while ensuring each phrase fits the data. For example, describe Manhattan’s population as declining after 1900, rather than saying its percentage “is 19%” without a clear comparison.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, but the range is limited and errors are frequent enough to make several relationships difficult to understand. Examples include “The first table illustrate,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “the New York City year of population is 1800 to 2000,” which has an unclear sentence structure. In “1900 population is 1850093 and total population is 54% than after 2000,” the comparison is not grammatically formed. There are also inconsistent capitalisation and punctuation, including lowercase “i” and run-on sequences of figures. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and comparison structures, such as “Manhattan’s population rose to … in 1900, before falling to … in 2000.”
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