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)

These tables shows the rise and fall in population form 1800 to 2000 in city of New York combinely as well as separately in its districts Manhattan, Brooklyn ,Bronx ,Queens and Staten Island with their respective percentages of total population.

Looking at the numbers in first table we can say that there was a rapid increase in population in all five districts.In year 1800 the exactnumber was 79,216 but it jumped to 3,437,202 in 1900 and then jumped again to 8,009,185.

If we look closely to the separately given data of districts the most prominent was Manhattan which had population of 60,515 people as 76 % of total population and the number grew to 1,850,093 in 1900 but the percentage was reduced to 54% and then in 200 the number decreased to 1,538,096 as well as the percent reduced to 19%.

Now if we see other given districts data in which we have Bronx, Brooklyn , Queens ,Staten Island we can see the rise in population number as well as in the percentage of total population.

In year 1800 the number was 18,701 and percentage was 24% then in 1900 number rose to 1,587,109 and 46% and then again in 2000 it rose to 6,471,089 and percent to 81%

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report the main population figures for all three years and make a relevant comparison between Manhattan and the combined other districts. The figures are generally accurate, including Manhattan’s fall from 1,850,093 to 1,538,096 and the other districts’ rise to 6,471,089. However, the response does not give a clear, separate overview of the most important trends. It says the city’s population rose rapidly, but does not explicitly highlight that Manhattan’s share fell sharply while the other districts became dominant by 2000. Also, “rise and fall” in the opening is imprecise for the citywide trend, which increased throughout. A more selective overview and clearer emphasis on the contrast would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a broadly sensible order: total population first, then Manhattan, then the other districts. This helps the reader locate the information, and phrases such as “Looking at” and “Now if we see” signal movement between sections. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical, with repeated openings based on “if we look/see,” and the final paragraph largely repeats the same year-by-year pattern. Paragraphing is limited, and the overview is not clearly separated from the details. Some references are also imprecise: “the number” can refer to either population or percentage. Organise the response into a brief overview followed by two focused detail paragraphs, and use clearer links and references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main information, including “population,” “percentage,” “increased,” “decreased,” and “rose.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural, however: “rise and fall” does not accurately describe the citywide trend, “combinely” is not an appropriate form, and “the most prominent was Manhattan” is unclear in this context. There are also noticeable spelling and spacing problems, such as “form” for “from,” “exactnumber,” and “separately given.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding the figures, but they limit precision and fluency. Use standard collocations such as “combined population” and “accounted for,” and proofread spelling and spacing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentences, particularly when describing Manhattan’s figures across the three years, but control is inconsistent. The opening has agreement and article errors: “These tables shows” should be “These tables show,” and “in city of New York” needs an article. Other examples include “in year 1800” and the run-on construction in “the number decreased … as well as the percent reduced.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also inconsistent, with missing spaces after full stops and commas. Most of the intended meaning remains understandable, but frequent errors and a narrow range of reliably controlled structures make the account less clear. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then connect comparisons using controlled clauses.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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