Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-09

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 table illustrates changes in the population of the city of new york from 1800 to 2000 and the second and third table show changes in population in five districts of new york in 200 years of time period.

Overall, the population of new york city increases significantly throughout the period, while manhattan recorded the highest population over other districts till 1900 but in next 100 years brooklyn, bronx, queens and state island population increased to 81 and surpass manhattan.

IN 1800 the population the New York was 79216 which jumped upto [redacted phone] in the year 1900, in the next 100 years of period it get more than doubled and reached to [redacted phone].

Looking at manhattan and other districts, the manhattan population was 60515 in 1800 while the population of other four districts were 18701, in 1900 manhattan was also ahead of these four districts, however in 2000 manhattan population decreases and the other disctricts population increases to 81 percent which was more than double as of manhattan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall pattern: New York City’s population rose substantially, and Manhattan’s share fell as the other districts gained importance. You also include relevant figures for all three years and correctly note that Manhattan led in 1800 and 1900. This meets the task well, with some features more fully reported than others. To make the summary more complete, state explicitly that the city’s total population more than doubled between 1900 and 2000, and give the district figures or percentages that support the shift. The phrase “increased to 81” is unclear: 81% is the other districts’ share in 2000, not their population. Clarifying this distinction and reporting the fall in Manhattan’s population after 1900 would strengthen the overview and comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs presenting the total and district populations. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the information. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “while,” and “however” help signal comparisons and changes. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear, particularly “in next 100 years” and “which was more than double as of manhattan.” The final paragraph also combines several comparisons without clearly separating population totals from percentage shares. Use clearer references and organise the district comparison around the three dates, making each sentence’s subject explicit. This would improve progression and cohesion while preserving the useful paragraph structure already present.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “population,” “throughout the period,” “increases significantly,” and “recorded the highest population.” These choices communicate the broad trends, but the range is limited and several phrases are imprecise or unnatural, which sometimes makes the data harder to interpret. For example, “increased to 81” omits that this is a percentage, while “in 200 years of time period” is an awkward way to describe the span. There are also spelling and form errors, such as “disctricts” and “state island.” Aim for precise terms for totals, proportions, and changes, and check place names. More accurate collocations would make the report clearer and more appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “while” and a clause beginning “which.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but the range is limited and errors recur in sentence construction, verb forms, articles, and punctuation. For instance, “the population the New York was 79216” is missing a preposition and has an unclear noun phrase; “it get more than doubled” has an incorrect verb form; and “the second and third table show” has a subject–verb agreement error. Capitalisation is also inconsistent, as in “new york” and “IN 1800.” Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build longer sentences from correctly formed clauses. Clearer sentence boundaries and punctuation would also help readers follow the comparisons.

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.