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 presents the total citizens number difference of the New York city between 1800 and 2000, the other 2 tables illustrate the changes the numbers of people who were from other 5 districts during the period ( Manhattan,Brooklyn,Bronx,Queens,Staten island)

Overall,over the time period New York city had significantly increased its residents than other five districts. Manhattan looses its citizen in its final year and other four districts also moderately increases their total number of individuals.

The year of 1800 new york cities population were only 79,216 over the century in dramatically climed into 3,437,202 .over the next century the amount rises into more than double and become 8,009,185. on the other hand manhattan city also quickly changes its population it was 60,515 at the 1800 and in next century it increses three times more than the previous century and it reached 1,850,093. but it looses their number in modarate amount in next century and become 1,538,096.

the other 4 districts steadily uplift their total number of people in their area over three centuries. it started at 18,701 and over the two century it only increases into 6,471,089 in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main time span and report the key overall changes: the city’s population rose from 79,216 to 8,009,185, while Manhattan’s population peaked in 1900 and then fell. You also include the combined figures for the other districts, so the response addresses the central comparisons. However, the overview is not fully accurate: “New York city had significantly increased its residents than other five districts” compares unlike groups, and the other districts’ growth is described as moderate despite their rise from 18,701 to 6,471,089 and their share increasing to 81%. The response also omits the changing population shares, an important feature shown in the table. State the contrast more precisely and develop the shift in population distribution.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the figures. The sequence from 1800 to 1900 and then 2000 is generally easy to follow, and connectors such as “Overall,” “but,” and “on the other hand” help signal relationships. However, some links are mechanical or unclear. For example, “over the century” and “over the next century” do not always make the reference year explicit, while the overview’s comparison between New York City and “other five districts” is difficult to interpret. Several long sentences join multiple figures with full stops or commas inappropriately. Use clearer topic sentences and separate the Manhattan trend from the combined trend for the other districts; refer consistently to the three dates.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “population,” “increased,” “reached,” and “steadily,” and the reader can usually identify the intended trends. However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “total citizens number difference,” “looses its citizen,” “climed,” and “uplift their total number” are not suitable expressions for a formal data summary. Spelling errors such as “increses” and “modarate” also reduce control. Prefer standard chart language such as “population,” “rose,” “declined,” and “accounted for.” Take care to distinguish the city’s total population from the population of Manhattan and the combined population of the other four districts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons across dates, and the main figures are generally understandable. However, some errors in sentence structure, tense, agreement, articles, and punctuation make parts of the response awkward. For example, “The year of 1800 new york cities population were only 79,216” has an unclear opening and subject–verb disagreement; “it looses their number” has inconsistent pronouns and an incorrect verb form; and “it started at 18,701 and over the two century it only increases into 6,471,089” mixes tense and uses an unclear construction. Use past-tense verbs consistently, make the subject explicit, and check singular/plural agreement. Shorter, accurately punctuated sentences would help you present the comparisons more clearly.

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.