Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-08

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 given tables show the population change over the years from 1800 to 2000 in new york and its different disctricts.

Overall, the first table illustrate the total population of New York including all the states, while other two tables show the total population along with their percentage in total population. The largest number of people lived in New york in year 2000.

The first table compares the population changes over the years ,As the city population kept on increasing continously from year 1800 to 2000,In 1800 there were on 79,216 people in the city,While in 1900 number increase stedily till 3,437,202 and than goes up sharply till 8,009,185 in year 2000.

Furthermore, second table shows the population of city Manhattan, whose population was at 76% of total population in year 1800 and that number decreased till 19% in 2000,On the other hand other three cities contribution to the total population arise successively from 24% in 1800 to 81% in 2000 which was a major change.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the broad trends accurately: New York’s total population rises substantially, while Manhattan’s share falls and the other districts’ share grows. The figures for the city total and the percentage changes are generally reported correctly. However, the overview is not fully precise: saying the largest number lived in New York in 2000 is obvious rather than a useful comparison, and the response does not highlight that Manhattan’s population itself peaked in 1900 before declining by 2000. The description of the other districts also gives percentages but omits their population figures, and calls them “three cities” although four districts are grouped in the table. Select the key contrasts more clearly and support them with the relevant population data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the total population and district shares. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the information. Some links, however, are mechanical or unclear. “Furthermore” introduces the Manhattan figures, while “On the other hand” signals contrast, but the relationship between the two district groups could be expressed more precisely. Several sentences run together with commas, especially the long sentence beginning “The first table compares…”, which makes the sequence of figures harder to follow. Use clearer sentence boundaries and organise the district comparison around the change from 1800 to 2000, with the 1900 figures included as a useful intermediate point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant language for describing data, including “increasing,” “decreased,” “percentage,” and “major change,” so the main trends are understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for an academic report. “The largest number of people lived in New York” is vague, and “contribution to the total population arise successively” does not express the increase naturally. There are also spelling errors such as “disctricts,” “continously,” and “stedily,” alongside inconsistent capitalisation of “New York.” Aim for precise terms such as “population,” “share,” “accounted for,” and “rose,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a contrast with “while” and a clause beginning “whose population was…”. The main meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors and punctuation problems reduce control. For example, “the first table illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, and “in year 1800” is missing an article. In “number increase stedily… and than goes up,” the verb forms do not remain consistent with the past-time description. Several clauses are joined with commas rather than separated into complete sentences, and spacing around punctuation is inconsistent. Use past-tense verbs consistently for the historical data, check agreement and articles, and divide long sentences into shorter, accurately punctuated units.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.