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 first table shows the population of new York city from 1800 to 2000 . The world population are increased in every period .In first table the population increased in the whole New York city in all centuries .
The population of New York city in eighteenth century was 79,216 .He increased in the next century and reach the value of
3,437,202. In 20th century the population is also increased of New York city and reach the value of 8,009,185.
The second and third table shows the five district population of new York city in same time .The Manhattan district population in 18th was 60,515 and it was the 76% of total population of new York city .It was also increased in 19th century and reach the value of 1,850,093 and it was the 54% of total population .In next century the population decreased and reach about 19% of total population
The other four district population of new York city also increased in every century in 18th its value was 24% and 19th its value was 46% and 20th century its value was 81% of total population .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the main overall rise in New York City’s population and report several relevant figures, including the total populations in 1800, 1900 and 2000 and Manhattan’s changing share. However, the summary is only partial: it does not clearly state the key contrast that Manhattan’s population rose to a peak in 1900 and then fell by 2000, while the other districts grew substantially. The final paragraph gives the other districts’ percentages but not their population figures, and the 2000 Manhattan population is omitted. Also, “world population” is inaccurate here; the data concern New York City. A clearer overview and more balanced reporting of the main changes would make the response more complete.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a basic sequence: it introduces the tables, describes the citywide totals, and then discusses Manhattan and the other districts. This gives the reader some organisation, and time markers such as “in the next century” help indicate change. However, progression within the final paragraph is less clear: the Manhattan figures and percentages are followed by a brief list of the other districts’ shares, without explaining the comparison or linking it to the overall trend. Repeated openings such as “The population…” and “In… century” make the writing feel mechanical, while some references, including “He,” are unclear. Use a concise overview and separate, logically developed comparisons for the city total and district patterns.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use a small set of relevant terms, including “population,” “increased,” “decreased,” “total population,” and “district,” so the basic subject is usually understandable. However, the vocabulary is limited and repetitive, and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural. “World population” misidentifies the data, while “reach the value of” is repeated where a more precise reporting verb would be more natural. “The other four district population” is also an awkward phrase, and “new York” is inconsistently capitalised. Build a wider range of accurate trend language, such as “accounted for,” “rose to,” “declined to,” and “the remaining districts,” and check spelling and capitalisation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
Most sentences use simple subject–verb patterns, and you attempt some longer sentences to compare figures across periods. However, grammatical errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships unclear. For example, “The world population are increased” has incorrect agreement and verb form, and “He increased” uses an unclear pronoun and an unsuitable verb construction. There are also missing or incorrect articles and prepositions in phrases such as “in eighteenth century” and “it was the 76%.” Tense use shifts between past and present when describing historical data, and punctuation spacing is inconsistent. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build longer sentences with controlled clauses, while checking agreement, articles and sentence boundaries.
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