Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-13

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 first table illustrates changes in the total population of New York City between [redacted phone] time frame. The second and third tables represent changes in the population of the five districts of the city which includes Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island over the exact period.

Firstly, the New York city in 1800 comprises of 79,216. In 1900, this population rises to 3,437,202 and year 2000, this population ascend to 8,009,185. Next, in 1800 the Manhattan district embraces a population of 60,515. With the passage of time this population rises to 1,850,093 by 1900 and in year 2000 this population decends to 1,538,096.

Futhermore, the population of the remaining four districts which inculdes Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island was 18,701 by the year 1800 which makes it 24% of total population. If we move forward to the year 1900, this population acends to 1,587,109 which makes it the total of 46%. By the year 2000, the same population elevates to 6,471,089 which makes it highest of 81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You report the main population figures accurately, including the city’s growth from 79,216 to 8,009,185 and the shift in Manhattan’s population after 1900. You also note the rising share of the other districts. However, the response is short of the required 150 words (140 words; 28 words copied from the prompt are excluded), and it lacks a clear overview summarising the main trends. In particular, it does not explicitly highlight that Manhattan’s share fell substantially while the other districts became dominant by 2000. The account is mostly a year-by-year listing, with limited comparison or interpretation. Add a concise overview and compare the districts’ population shares and changes to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a generally understandable sequence: it introduces the tables, then describes the city total, Manhattan, and the remaining districts. Paragraph breaks help separate these topics, and transitions such as “Firstly,” “Next,” and “Furthermore” signal movement between points. However, progression is somewhat mechanical, and the account reads mainly as a list of figures rather than a connected comparison. “With the passage of time” and “If we move forward” add little, while the relationship between Manhattan’s decline after 1900 and the growth of the other districts is not made explicit. Organise the body around the overall city trend and the contrasting district patterns, using clearer comparisons and less repetitive sequencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “total population,” “district,” “rises,” and “decends,” and the meaning is generally recoverable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for an academic report. “The Manhattan district embraces a population” is an unsuitable collocation, while “ascend,” “acends,” and “elevates” are awkward ways to describe population figures. There are also spelling errors, including “Futhermore,” “inculdes,” and “decends.” Prefer precise, neutral reporting verbs and check spelling carefully. Repeating “population” is understandable, but varying the phrasing with “figure,” “share,” or “accounted for” would improve flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate the figures using mostly simple sentence patterns, with some attempts to add time clauses and relative clauses. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make the writing less controlled. For example, “between 1800-2000 time frame” is not a complete, well-formed time expression, and “the New York city in 1800 comprises of 79,216” has problems with article use, tense, and sentence construction. In “which includes Manhattan…” the verb does not agree with the plural noun “districts.” Several sentences also omit articles or use awkward clause structures, such as “and year 2000.” Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build comparisons with controlled clauses, such as “By 2000, Manhattan’s population had fallen…”.

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