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 table shows the difference between the population of all the districts of New York city from 1800 to 2000. Whereas the other tables provides the data of change in population among five districts.

Overall, With every decade the population is rapidly increasing in all five districts. In 1800 it was 79,216 while in 2000 it is 8,009,185 which is a massive rise in the population. Whereas, In the manhattan district the population is growing in each decade but seen lower pecentage in the contribution of total population. In the contrast, the population in the other four districts that include brooklyn,bronx,queens,staten island is growing over the years in all prespectives.

Firstly, The sum of population is rising rapidly over the decades. The population went from 79,216 to 8,009,185 between the time period.

On the other hand, By breaking the five disricts into population wise. The manhattan district population is falling over the period in terms of percentage of total population from 76 percent to 19 percent. Contary to that the other districts total population inclined from 24 percent to 81 percent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall rise in New York City’s population and the contrasting change in the districts’ shares, which addresses the central features of the tables. The figures of 79,216 and 8,009,185 are accurate, as are the reported changes from 76% to 19% for Manhattan and from 24% to 81% for the other districts. The overview also recognises that Manhattan’s share fell while the other districts’ share grew. However, the statement that population increased “with every decade” is inaccurate: the tables show only three years, and Manhattan’s population actually fell from 1,850,093 in 1900 to 1,538,096 in 2000. Including this key absolute-population comparison, and distinguishing it from the percentage trend, would make the report more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an opening, an overview and later detail, and it uses linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Firstly” and “On the other hand.” However, progression is not consistently clear because several points are repeated: the total population’s rise appears in both the overview and the third paragraph, while the district-share contrast is repeated in the overview and final paragraph. Some connectors do not express the intended relationship accurately, particularly “Whereas” at the start of a sentence and “In the contrast.” The final paragraph also introduces no new detail. Group the overview separately, then use one body paragraph for total population and another for the district figures, with comparisons that move logically from absolute numbers to shares.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “population,” “percentage,” “contribution” and “rapidly increasing,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural for a table report. “The difference between the population” would be better expressed as “changes in the population,” while “inclined” does not naturally describe a rising share; use “increased” or “rose.” “In all perspectives” is vague, and “population wise” is an awkward construction. Spelling errors such as “pecentage,” “disricts” and “Contary” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise reporting verbs and collocations, and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer structures, including “Whereas the other tables provides…” and “the population is growing… but seen lower percentage…,” but control is inconsistent. Subject–verb agreement is incorrect in “the other tables provides,” and the latter clause is missing a clear subject and verb. Several sentence openings are fragments or awkwardly attached, such as “Whereas, In the Manhattan district…” and “On the other hand, By breaking…”. Capitalisation after commas and full stops is also inconsistent. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas harder to follow, although the main message remains understandable. Build complete sentences with a clear subject and finite verb, and use subordinate clauses only when they are grammatically connected to a main clause.

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