Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-14

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 initial tables quantify the total number of people vary in three decades in the city of New York. And the other two tables compares the variation in the population in five sectors of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Islands.

Overall, there is an increase in people observed over the period of three decades with the most prominent rise in the decade of 2000.

In the first table, there was collectively increase in number of people from almost 80,000 to 8 lacs which is 8 times of the total population.

In the other two tables, Manhattan has the prominent fall in the number of population from 76 percent to the least of 19 percent in 2000. with the largest fall of 36 percent from 1900 to 2000. While the other sectors of the New York city has shown opposite trend with rise in percentage from 24 percent to 81 percent with the largest increase of 35 percent in the last decade.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad contrast between Manhattan and the other four districts, and correctly note that Manhattan’s share fell while the other districts’ share rose. However, the overview is not fully accurate: the city’s population increased across the three dates, not “over three decades,” and the strongest growth in the total occurred from 1800 to 1900, rather than being specifically in 2000. The statement that the population rose “from almost 80,000 to 8 lacs” also misreports the 2000 figure of about 8 million and calls it only eight times the original, when it was roughly 100 times larger. More precise reporting of the key totals and changes would make the response more complete and reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, an overall statement, and comments on the two sets of data. This gives the reader some sense of organisation, and phrases such as “Overall” and “In the first table” signal the topic. However, the progression is limited because the figures are not developed in a clear, systematic comparison, and the final paragraph combines several points in long, awkward sentences. The opening also separates related ideas with “And,” while “with the largest fall…” and “While…” create fragments rather than smoothly connected statements. Group the total-population trend and district-share changes into clearly developed paragraphs, using accurate links to show how the figures relate.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of task-related terms, including “prominent rise,” “fall,” “percentage,” and “opposite trend,” so the response is not limited to everyday vocabulary alone. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural and make the data harder to interpret: “people vary” does not express population change, “8 lacs” is unsuitable for this context, and “number of population” is an awkward collocation. “Three decades” is also inaccurate for the three dates, which span two centuries. Aim for standard data-reporting language and use population terms precisely. For example, describe the population as “increased,” refer to “residents” or “population figures,” and use “approximately 8 million” for the 2000 total.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some complex structures, including “with the largest fall…” and “While the other sectors…,” but control is inconsistent and many sentences contain errors. In the opening, “tables quantify the total number of people vary” lacks a grammatical link between the clauses; “the other two tables compares” has subject–verb disagreement. The sentence beginning “In the other two tables” also has faulty punctuation: “in 2000. with” incorrectly starts a new sentence with a lowercase word, and the following “While…” clause is incomplete. There are further agreement and article problems in “sectors … has shown.” Use shorter, complete sentences first, checking that each subject matches its verb and that subordinate clauses are attached to a main clause.

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