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 table represents of data about population of New York City from 1800 to 2000 and five districts namely, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island had countinues changed population over the ten decades.

According to given data, total 79,216 people were lived in New York while, 76% of people which 60,515 lived in Manhattan city and 24% of people were lived in other cities at 18,701. The Manhattan city had largest people which lived in 1800 Whereas, in 1900, population was increase in country at 3,437,202 but mostly population was divided into other city as compared to Manhattan had dropped at 54%.

On the other hand, Other city such as Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island had rose to 1,587,109 population in 1900. From the year 2000, The total New York popluation was rose to crossed 8,000,000 up although people were prefered to lived in Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island reached at 6,471,089 which touched at 81% whereas, Manhattan city had lowest population in 2000 reached at 19% which only 1,538,096.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report the main overall rise in New York’s population and the changing balance between Manhattan and the other districts. The figures you give—79,216 in 1800, 3,437,202 in 1900, and over 8 million in 2000—are broadly accurate, as are the district percentages and populations. However, the response does not clearly summarise the key pattern: Manhattan’s population rose sharply by 1900 and then fell by 2000, while the other districts grew substantially throughout. The overview is also missing, and some statements are unclear, such as “population was increase in country.” To strengthen the response, state the main trends directly and compare the two groups across all three years, rather than mainly listing figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence from 1800 to 1900 and then 2000, and it separates the early data from later comparisons into paragraphs. This gives the reader some sense of chronology. However, there is no clear overview to guide the report, and the progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow. For example, the sentence beginning “The Manhattan city had largest people” moves from the 1800 figures to the 1900 total without a clear link between the ideas. Connectors such as “On the other hand” and “whereas” are attempted, but their relationships are not always logical or clearly expressed. Organise the report around an overview followed by a clear comparison of the two population groups.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “total population,” “districts,” “divided,” and “reached,” and the reader can generally identify the figures being discussed. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning difficult to interpret. For instance, “population was increase in country” and “people were prefered to lived” do not express the intended trends naturally. “Other city” is also imprecise when referring to four districts, and “touched at 81%” is not an appropriate way to describe a share. Aim for accurate, reusable reporting language such as “accounted for,” “rose to,” and “declined to,” and check spelling, including “population” and “continued.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt longer sentences and use some subordinate clauses and comparisons, including “whereas” and “as compared to.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in basic sentence construction and verb forms occur throughout. Examples include “The table represents of data,” “79,216 people were lived,” and “population was increase.” Articles and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent, as in “at 18,701” and the long final sentence, where several ideas are joined without clear punctuation. These errors can make relationships between figures hard to follow. Practise forming accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with controlled clauses—for example, “Manhattan’s population fell to 1,538,096, while the other districts reached 6,471,089.”

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