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 illustrate changes in New York City from 1800 to 2000 in the total population. In second and third tables provides date of the five districts, changes in the population throughout the same period.
Overall, New York recorded the highest number of population. Manhattan has dropped percentage every year,while other districts has reaching a peak percentage.
In 1800, New York City has 79,216 number of population. Which incresed and gose to 3,437,202 in 1900, followed by it stood to 8,009,185 in 2000. Whereas, Manhattan initialy has highest figure in 1800 around 76%. It decreased to 54% in 1900 and were seen as the major drawback in 2000 around 19%.
Other four districts has 24% of total population in the begining, which increased to 46% in 1900. In 2000, the percentage of total population reaching a peak at 81% (6,471,089).
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the broad trends: the city’s population rose substantially, Manhattan’s share fell, and the other districts’ share increased. Several figures are accurate, including the city totals and the 2000 figures for the other districts. However, the overview is unclear: “New York recorded the highest number of population” does not clearly state the main comparison, and “Manhattan has dropped percentage every year” is imprecise. The tables show Manhattan’s population rose to 1,850,093 in 1900 before falling to 1,538,096 in 2000, a key change not reported. Also, the response is 141 words, below the required 150. Develop the overview and report the population figures as well as percentages to cover the data more fully.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the city total and district shares. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and time markers such as “In 1800” and “In 2000” help establish sequence. However, progression is sometimes weakened by unclear links and sentence fragments. “Which incresed and gose to 3,437,202” is not a complete sentence, while “Whereas, Manhattan…” does not connect smoothly to the preceding point. The overview also combines two trends without making the comparison precise. Use complete sentences, link comparisons directly, and group the city totals separately from the district figures for clearer development.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “total population,” “percentage,” “increased,” and “decreased,” so the main trends can generally be understood. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which makes parts of the report difficult to interpret. For example, “highest number of population” is not a natural collocation, and “major drawback” does not describe a population decline appropriately. “Reaching a peak” is also misleading because the other districts’ share is simply highest in the final year shown. Spelling errors such as “incresed,” “gose,” “initialy,” and “begining” further reduce accuracy. Choose precise reporting verbs and check spelling before submitting.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response attempts some complex sentence forms, including “which increased to 46% in 1900,” and uses past-time references to describe the data. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, and errors occur in both sentence construction and verb agreement. “The first table illustrate” needs subject–verb agreement, while “In second and third tables provides” is an incomplete and incorrectly formed clause. The fragment “Which incresed and gose…” also lacks a clear subject. Past-tense forms are often inaccurate, as in “has 79,216” and “other four districts has.” Use complete clauses with clear subjects, maintain the past tense for the historical data, and check agreement and articles.
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