Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-12

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 tabels illustrates the changes in the total population of New York City and in the five districts of the city over the same period.

In the year 1800 the total population of all five districts of New York City was estimated about 79,216. After one century the number increases, so in 1900 the population in NYC was more than 3.5 million. Similarly, after the 100 years the number of population rise so, in 2000 the population was 8 million in all five district of NYC.

While in 1800 the 76% of total population lived in Manhattan and only 24% were living in other districts like Brooklyn,Bronx,Queens and staten lands but after a decade Manhattan was still leading with the number of population in 1900 the half of population about 54% were living in Manhattan, on the other side 46% of population were living in other districts but surprisingly in 2000 the percentage changed completely this time other districts were leading with 81% of population and only 19% people choose manhattan to stay.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main changes and make a relevant comparison between Manhattan and the other districts. The figures for 1800 and the percentages in all three years are accurately reported, and the overview that the other districts became dominant by 2000 is clear. However, the 1900 total is described as “more than 3.5 million,” whereas the table gives 3,437,202, and the 2000 total is rounded to 8 million. More importantly, the response does not report the population figures for Manhattan and the other districts, which would make the comparison more complete. Develop the key contrast by noting that Manhattan’s population fell from 1,850,093 in 1900 to 1,538,096 in 2000, while the other districts grew substantially.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear overall sequence: it first describes the citywide population and then compares the district shares across the three years. Time markers such as “in 1800,” “after one century,” and “in 2000” help the reader follow the changes. However, the ideas are packed into long paragraphs, and the final comparison becomes difficult to track because several contrasts are joined in one sentence with “but,” “on the other side,” and “surprisingly.” The phrase “after a decade” also disrupts the timeline, since the comparison is between 1900 and 1800. Use separate paragraphs for the overall trend and district distribution, and divide the final sentence into shorter, clearly linked comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “total population,” “percentage,” “leading,” and “changed completely,” so the main trends are understandable. However, the range is limited and some choices are imprecise or unnatural for an academic report. For example, “the number of population rise” and “people choose Manhattan to stay” do not express the demographic changes naturally; “staten lands” is also an inaccurate name for Staten Island. Spelling and capitalisation are inconsistent, including “tabels,” “Brooklyn,Bronx,” and lowercase “manhattan.” Aim for precise reporting verbs and collocations, such as “increased,” “accounted for,” and “residents lived in,” and check the spelling of place names.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, errors in verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence construction are noticeable. For instance, “the number increases” and “the number of population rise” do not maintain the past tense needed for historical data; “was estimated about 79,216” is missing a grammatical link, and “the half of population” has an incorrect article pattern. The long final sentence also joins several independent ideas without clear punctuation, making its structure hard to follow. Use consistent past-tense forms, check singular and plural agreement, and separate the comparisons into shorter sentences with accurate punctuation.

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