Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-10

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 5.5)

The tables demonstrate the changes occur in the New York City, and its five different districts between the year 1800 to 2000.

The First table illustrates the overall population of New York City. People lived in 1800 was 79,216 and that number was drammatically increased in 1900 from thousands to million. In 2000, people lived their increased to around three times even more.

In five districts, in 1800 people preferred to live in Manhattan as compared to other districts, around 75 percent people stayed there. During 1900, almost half of percentage of individuals lived in Manhattan and less than half lived other areas.Number of people in Manhattan around 3 million more than in other districts. In contrary, in 2000 around 80 percent of population around 65 million people preffered to stay in other districts than Manhattan,only 19 percent around 1.5 million lived there.

Overall, population in New York City increased in 2000 years to around 80 times more,in which mostly in past people wanted to live in Manhattan that shifted in 2000 in other districts more.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main broad patterns: New York’s population grew substantially, and Manhattan’s share fell while the other districts’ share rose. However, some key details are inaccurate or unclear. The city had about 8 million residents in 2000, roughly 2.3 times its 1900 population, not “around three times”; the other districts had about 6.5 million, not “65 million.” The statement that Manhattan had “around 3 million more” people than the other districts in 1900 is also incorrect: the difference was about 263,000. Your overview captures the shift in population distribution, but the report gives limited precise comparisons and does not clearly describe Manhattan’s population decline from 1900 to 2000. More accurate figures and clearer coverage of these changes would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: it introduces the tables, discusses total population, compares the districts, and ends with a general summary. This gives the reader a broad route through the information. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in the district comparison, where the 1900 figures and the claim about a three-million difference are joined without a clear explanation. Linking phrases such as “In contrary” and “in which” do not express the intended relationships accurately, and spacing after full stops is inconsistent. The final overview repeats earlier points rather than drawing them together precisely. Organising the comparison by year and using clear links such as “By contrast” and “By 2000” would make the sequence easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “overall population,” “percentage,” “increased,” and “shifted.” This shows an attempt to report trends and compare population shares. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “people preferred to live,” “around three times even more,” and “in contrary.” These expressions can make the intended comparison less clear. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “drammatically” and “preffered.” Aim for precise, neutral language suited to statistical reporting, and check spelling carefully. Replacing conversational descriptions of residents’ preferences with terms such as “accounted for” or “the population was concentrated in” would improve accuracy and style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more extended sentences, but control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make relationships between figures difficult to understand. For example, “People lived in 1800 was 79,216” has an incorrect sentence structure, while “increased in 1900 from thousands to million” uses an unclear verb pattern and number expression. In “in 2000, people lived their increased,” the subject and verb construction is faulty. Articles, prepositions, and punctuation also need attention, as in “in the New York City” and the run-together phrase “areas.Number.” These recurring problems fit a limited level of grammatical control. Practise clear patterns such as “The population stood at…” and “Manhattan’s share fell from…to…” before attempting longer comparisons.

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