Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-15

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 the amount of differences of the total population of the New York city from the year 1800 to 1900, while second and third table shows changes in the cities in the same year.

Overall, it is clear that the highest population rise was in the year 2000, which was about 8 million. while the lowest population was about 80 thousand in the year 1800.

In terms of Manhattan, the population was about 60 thousand with the percentages of 76% of the total population in year 1800, while the highest population was in the year 1900, with 56% of total population.

Other districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) also saw a grammatical increase in its population, reaching up to 6.5 million, and was about 81% of the total population in the year 2000. The lowest population was in the year 1800 with the percentage of 24% in total population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad rise in New York’s total population and the shift in population share from Manhattan to the other districts, which are relevant main features. However, coverage is partial and some key details are inaccurate: the first table spans 1800 to 2000, not 1800 to 1900, and Manhattan’s share in 1900 was 54%, not 56%. The overview also describes the highest population as occurring “in the year 2000” without clearly summarising the contrasting district trends. The other districts’ growth is noted, but Manhattan’s decline from 1.85 million in 1900 to 1.54 million in 2000 is omitted. Report the full time span and compare these changes accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs about Manhattan and the other districts. This gives the reader a general route through the information. However, progression is limited, and the comparisons between the tables are not developed consistently. For example, the overview mentions only the total population’s high and low points, while the body treats each district group separately without linking their changing shares. Some linking is mechanical or unclear, particularly the repeated use of “while” and “the lowest population” in different paragraphs. Use clearer topic sentences and connect the district figures to the overall population trend so the comparisons form a more continuous account.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to identify the topic and report basic trends, using terms such as “population,” “total population,” “percentages,” and “reaching.” However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate. “The amount of differences of the total population” is not a natural way to describe change, and “grammatical increase” appears to be an incorrect word choice for population growth. “Changes in the cities” is also imprecise when referring to population figures. These choices can make the intended meaning less clear. Build a small set of accurate Task 1 expressions, such as “population rose,” “accounted for,” and “population share,” and use them consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex sentence forms, including clauses joined with “while” and the phrase “reaching up to 6.5 million,” but control is uneven and the range remains limited. Errors include “the second and third table shows,” where the plural subject requires a plural verb, and “its population,” which does not agree clearly with the plural “Other districts.” Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention: “the New York city” is incorrectly formed, and “2000, which was about 8 million. while” begins a new sentence with a lower-case conjunction. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, but they recur. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and punctuation while varying sentence structures.

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