Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-01

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 from the first table we get to know that population in New York city had surprisingly increased over 200 years in 1800's New York city population was just only 79216 and next 100 years many people migrated here in 1900's population rise up to [redacted phone] and to next 100 years in the years 2000's New York's population risen up to [redacted phone]. The second table shows the population between year 1800 to 2000. during year 1800's the population was only 60515 which was 76%of the total population in New York city. After just 100 years in year 1900's the population rise up to [redacted phone] which was only 54% of the total population. After another 100 years the population rise up to [redacted phone] which was only 19% of the total population in Manhattan. rest of the population was in other districts of the state like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens etc. the rest of the population live in other districts was 18701 which was 24% of the total population. After 100 years during 1900's the population rise up to [redacted phone] which was 46% of the population. At last in 2000's the population rise up to [redacted phone] which was 81% of the total population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the task by summarizing the population data for New York City and its districts. However, the coverage is uneven. While the total population and Manhattan are discussed, the other four districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) are grouped together as 'etc.' or mentioned only in passing, failing to report the specific trends for these areas as requested by the prompt. The data selection is somewhat selective, and the analysis lacks a clear overview or synthesis of the main trends, such as the shift in population distribution between the districts over the two centuries. To improve, ensure all categories provided in the tables are addressed with specific data points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay lacks clear paragraphing, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of information. The text is essentially one long block, which hinders readability. Cohesive devices are used in a very mechanical and repetitive way, such as the frequent use of 'the population rise up to' and 'after 100 years'. There is a lack of logical transition between the general city data and the specific district data. To achieve a higher band, you should organize your response into distinct paragraphs (e.g., an introduction, a paragraph for the city total, and a paragraph for the district comparisons) and use a wider variety of linking words.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. You rely heavily on the phrase 'the population rise up to' throughout the text. There is little attempt to use a range of synonyms or more sophisticated vocabulary to describe trends (e.g., 'surged', 'experienced a significant growth', 'accounted for'). Additionally, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'in 1800's' (which refers to a decade, not a year) and 'rest of the population was in other districts of the state' (New York City is a city, not a state). Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and nouns is essential.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There is a lack of punctuation, particularly full stops, which leads to run-on sentences. For example, 'in 1800's New York city population was just only 79216 and next 100 years many people migrated here in 1900's population rise up to...'. Subject-verb agreement and tense usage are inconsistent (e.g., 'population rise up' instead of 'rose'). The sentence structures are mostly simple, and there is a lack of complex sentence forms. Focusing on basic sentence construction, punctuation, and consistent tense usage would significantly improve your score.

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