Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-02

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 population of New York city ,which has five districts, in 1800 was 79,216. In which 76% of all population is just in Manhattan and remaing 24% of the population is in other 4 districts.

In 1900 the figure jumped to 3,437,202 ,but there is decrease in the percentage of population in Manhattan which falls from 76% to 54%.And the population of other 4 districts in this century raised upto 46% of the all population.

After an other 100 years there was a significant increase in the number of peoples in New York reached upto 8,009,185. But on the other hand there is also massive decrease in the percentile population in Manhattan of overall population of New York and the percentage of other districts reached upto 81% of the total.

So in grnral we could say as the population of New York city was increasinf in three centuries the weightage of population in Manhattan decreases and in other four districts it was raising rapidly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You successfully addressed all parts of the task by reporting the main features, such as the overall population growth from 1800 to 2000 and the changing distribution between Manhattan and the other four districts. Your overview at the end appropriately summarises the main trend that Manhattan's population share decreased while the other districts grew. However, some parts of your response are slightly under-developed; for instance, you could have provided more precise comparative commentary on the individual growth figures rather than relying on broad percentages alone. Nevertheless, all required information is covered adequately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

Your response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement, with a logical chronological progression from 1800 to 1900 and then to 2000, followed by a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate each time period. However, your use of cohesive devices can be somewhat mechanical or faulty at times, such as the abrupt transitions ('In which', 'After an other 100 years') and referencing issues ('the figure', 'the percentile population'). While your ideas are generally easy to follow, improving your range of linking words and referencing would elevate the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey basic trends using terms like 'population', 'districts', 'percentage', and 'decrease'. You attempt some less common vocabulary, such as 'significant increase', 'massive decrease', and 'weightage', but these attempts are occasionally imprecise or unnatural in collocation. There are also a few word-form and spelling errors, such as 'remaing' instead of 'remaining', 'raised upto' instead of 'rose up to', and 'grnral' instead of 'general'. These errors do not impede communication, but they restrict your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms throughout the response, such as relative clauses ('which has five districts') and time clauses ('as the population... was increasing'). However, there are noticeable grammatical errors regarding verb tenses, prepositions, and punctuation. Examples include missing articles ('In which 76% of all population'), incorrect prepositional usage ('in this century raised upto'), and comma splices or run-on structures. While these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of inaccuracies prevents access to higher bands.

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