Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-16

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 tables illustrate the information regarding changes in total population that the year 1800 to 2000 in New York city and other five districts of the city.

Overall,what stand out from the first table is that in 2000 the population has been drastically increased. However, the manhattan city in same year percentage of poluation has been drastically decraesed till 19 percent. Although in other four districts the percentage of total population were 81 percent.

Looking at details, in first table the number of individuals in the year 1800 were just 79.216. The figure rose in 1900 from 3,[redacted phone] to 8,009,185 in 2000.

Furthermore, what stands out from other tables is that in mahattan district the figure plummeted till 2000. The percentage was dramatically decreased from 76 till 19 percent.

The other four districts the percentage of citizens flactuated. It was 24 percent i 1800.That rose to 81 percent by the end of year 2000. A great flctuation noticed in these four districits

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall contrast: New York’s total population grew substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share rose. You also include relevant figures for 1800 and 2000. However, some important details are unclear or inaccurate. The total population did not rise “from 3,437,202 to 8,009,185” in a way that explains the 1900 figure clearly, and Manhattan’s population itself rose to 1,850,093 in 1900 before falling to 1,538,096 in 2000; this key change is not reported. The other districts’ share did not “fluctuate” in the periods shown: it increased from 24% to 46% and then 81%. Report these stages precisely and distinguish population totals from percentages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the total population, Manhattan, and the other districts. This gives the reader a general route through the information. However, progression is weakened by repeated overview-style phrases such as “what stands out,” and some links between ideas are unclear. For example, “The figure rose in 1900 from 3,437.202 to 8,009,185 in 2000” makes the sequence difficult to follow, while “The other four districts the percentage of citizens fluctuated” lacks a clear grammatical connection to the preceding sentence. Use one concise overview, then organise the details chronologically or by district, with clear references to each table.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “population,” “percentage,” “rose,” “decreased,” and “plummeted.” These choices show an attempt to vary language, but the range is limited and several word choices or spellings reduce precision. “Fluctuated” is unsuitable because the figures show a steady increase across the three years, and “Manhattan city” is not the appropriate label for the district. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “poluation,” “decraesed,” “flactuated,” and “districits.” Prefer accurate, neutral reporting language over dramatic terms such as “drastically,” and check spelling carefully so the data description remains clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including “Although in other four districts…” and “what stands out from the first table is that…”. However, some sentence structures are incomplete or awkward, and errors in articles, tense, agreement, and punctuation sometimes make relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “The other four districts the percentage of citizens fluctuated” needs a verb pattern such as “In the other four districts, the share of the population increased.” The opening phrase “changes in total population that the year 1800 to 2000” also needs a clearer construction, such as “changes in the total population from 1800 to 2000.” Use consistent past tense for the historical data and check sentence boundaries and spacing after punctuation.

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