Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-07

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 tables illustrate the number of population in five districts thatalso measured in percentages, across the New York city between 1800 to 2000.

Overall, the average total number of population increased considerably of all five district throughout the

given period, while te proportion of Manhattan district decreased towards the end of the period. Although, the layout of Manhattan district could be seen higher among all other four districts.

Regarding the Newyork districts, the tolal population stood at 79216 in 1800, Over the following years, this figure rose sharply, reaching aqround 8,009,2185 in 2000.Similarly, the proportion of Manhattan district in first two inition years accounted for 76% and 54% were higher than that the other four districts including Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten island ( 24 % and 46%) respectively from total of 79,216 in intaila years and 3,437, 202 in 1900..

By contrast, the population of other districts was geneally high at 6, 471, 089 which was approximately 81% from total population than the Manhattan district recorded 1,538, 096, only 19% in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall pattern: New York’s population grew substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share rose. You also include relevant figures for 1800, 1900 and 2000, so the response addresses the key comparisons. However, some important details are unclear or inaccurate: the 2000 total is written as “8,009,2185” rather than 8,009,185, and the sharp rise in the total population is not clearly traced through the 1900 figure. The overview’s claim that Manhattan remained “higher among all other four districts” is also unclear and does not accurately describe the comparison with the combined other districts. A clearer overview and more precise reporting of the stages would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an overview followed by paragraphs covering the earlier years and the 2000 comparison. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Regarding” and “By contrast” help signal the intended organisation. However, progression is weakened by the long, crowded sentence beginning “Similarly,” which combines percentages, district names and total populations without making their relationships easy to follow. The phrase “first two inition years” is also unclear, and the contrast introduced in the final paragraph is not fully developed. Use one main comparison per sentence, group the figures by year, and make references such as “this figure” explicit so readers can follow the data more easily.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accounted for,” “rose sharply” and “recorded,” which is appropriate for describing tables. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “number of population,” “average total number,” and “layout of Manhattan district.” Spelling errors, including “tolal,” “geneally” and “intaila,” also reduce clarity, while “Newyork” should be written as “New York.” The repeated use of “district” and “population” further limits variety. Aim for precise standard expressions such as “population,” “share of the total,” and “the combined population of the other districts,” and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast clause beginning “Although” and a time clause in “Over the following years.” However, errors in sentence construction and grammatical relationships are frequent enough to make some information difficult to interpret. For example, “that also measured in percentages” lacks a clear grammatical subject and verb, while “increased considerably of all five district” has an incorrect construction. The sentence beginning “Similarly” also lacks a clear structure for linking the percentages to the totals, and “Although” is used as a sentence fragment. Work on complete clauses, subject–verb agreement, articles and plural forms, and use full stops to separate comparisons.

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