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 first table illustrates the changes in the total population of New York city from 1800 to 2000. The second and third table depict the changes in population of five districts of the city Manhattan and other over the same period.

Overall, population increased substantially in New York city from 1800 to 2000. While, population of Manhattan rose till 1900 then it dropped massively. However, other districts population experienced a dramatic increase over the same period.

In detail, New York City including its all five district population was only above 79 thousands. But, it was then increased to above 3 million and considered as a massive rise. Likewise, it was then increased to almost 80 million in 2000.

On the other hand, Manhattan population was only above 60 thousands in 1800. But, it was then increased to above 1.8 million but it was decreased because of proprotion of total population which was decreased significantly from 76 to 54 percent. Furthermore, the population change was then increased to above 1.5 million but was decreased massively as percentage of total population and in 2000 it remained to only 19%. It is evident that other districts which include Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island experienced a substantial rise from 24 percent of total population to 81 percent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main overall pattern: the city’s population grew, Manhattan’s share declined, and the other districts became more prominent. You also include several relevant figures, such as Manhattan’s 76% share in 1800 and 19% in 2000. However, some key data are inaccurate: the city reached about 8 million in 2000, not “almost 80 million.” The account of Manhattan’s population is also unclear: it rose to 1,850,093 in 1900, then fell to 1,538,096 in 2000, while its percentage share fell across both periods. The other districts’ population figures are omitted, and their growth is described mainly through percentages. Select and compare the main figures more precisely to make the summary fuller and clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs. The overview usefully contrasts Manhattan’s decline after 1900 with the growth of the other districts. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow. In the Manhattan paragraph, “the population change was then increased” does not clearly identify which year or figure is being discussed, and the explanation links the population decrease to a falling percentage share as if one caused the other. Connectors such as “But,” “Likewise,” and “Furthermore” are repeated or do not always express the relationship accurately. Organise the details chronologically and use clearer references to the years and groups so readers can follow each comparison without having to infer it.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “increased substantially,” “dramatic increase,” “percentage,” and “experienced a substantial rise.” This gives the response a basic range suited to the task. However, several choices are imprecise or repetitive: “massive” is used for different changes, and “population change was then increased” is not a natural way to describe a population figure. “Above” is also less precise than “approximately” or “just over” when reporting values. There are noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “proprotion,” and “New York city” should be consistently capitalised as “New York City.” Use a wider set of accurate data-reporting verbs and distinguish population totals from percentage shares.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the contrast in “While, population of Manhattan rose till 1900 then it dropped massively.” However, errors are frequent, and some sentences are difficult to interpret. For example, “it was then increased” uses an incorrect passive form; write “it then increased.” The sentence beginning “Manhattan population was only above 60 thousands” has problems with articles and plural agreement, and “because of proportion of total population” does not form a clear grammatical relationship. Punctuation also needs attention: “While,” should not be followed by a comma in that position, and several long sentences would benefit from clearer clause boundaries. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build complex sentences around clear subjects and comparisons.

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