Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-09

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 information provided in the first table demonstrates the changes in the total population of a well known city New York throughout the past twenty decades between 18000 and 2000. In addition, the remaining two tables delineate changes in the population of the same city across five different districts (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) over the mentioned period.

Overall, it is quite evident from the given tables that the population is consistently increased over the period, especially in the last century. Moreover, Manhattan district is accounted for the most significant population in the 1800 century, while the rest of the district experienced a largest amount of population in the last century.

Regarding to the first table, in 1800 the population of New York city is nominal at 79,216. While later in 1900 they experience the most substantial increase up to 3,437,202. Finally in the last year in 2000 the population rate is reach to its peak and end with nearly double of the previous year at 8,009,185.

By the second and third tables, In 1800 the Manhattan recorded for the most populated district of around 60,515 which make up 76% of the New York city, while the other districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) population was mangable of around 18,701 which make up only 24%. Similarly in 1900, the Manhattan population figure was marginally decline to 54% which make 1,850,093, while the rest of the districts shows an upward trends of about 46% which make 1,567,109. Additionally, in the final year 2000, the Manhattan district population was dramatically decreased to 1,538,096, which make only 19%, while other districts was significantly climb his population up to 6,471,089 which has exactly 81 percent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the population growth in New York City and its districts. You included relevant data points to support your descriptions, such as the shift in population distribution from Manhattan to the other districts. However, there are some inaccuracies in your interpretation of the data; for instance, you refer to '1800 century' and '1900 century', which is confusing terminology. Additionally, the data for 1800 is 1800, not 18000. While you cover all parts of the task, the precision of your data reporting could be improved to ensure the reader fully understands the scale of the changes described.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on the total population and the district breakdown respectively. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Overall', and 'Similarly' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions, such as 'Regarding to the first table' and 'By the second and third tables'. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the progression of ideas could be smoother if you used a wider variety of linking words to connect the sentences within paragraphs more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'delineate', 'significant', 'substantial', and 'dramatically'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'population rate is reach to its peak', 'population figure was marginally decline', and 'other districts was significantly climb his population'. These errors occasionally make the text feel unnatural. To reach a higher band, focus on using collocations more accurately and avoiding repetitive phrasing when describing trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the response. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('Manhattan district is accounted for', 'other districts was significantly climb'), incorrect verb tenses, and preposition errors ('Regarding to'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the frequency of grammatical slips is noticeable. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur often enough to suggest that your control over complex structures is not yet consistent. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and tense consistency will significantly improve your score.

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

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