Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-17
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 provided first table illustrates changes in the total population of New York City in a period of time from 1800 to 2000. The second and third tables demonstrate changes in the population of (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) over the same period.
Overall, it is evident that all the five districts of New York City saw a dramatic leap in population numbers from the year 1800 to 2000. It is clear that the city of Manhattan used to have the highest percentage share of the total population of New York City compared to other districts in the year 1800, while in 2000, the rise of population share percentage went in favour for other districts.
Initially, the population of New York City with all the five districts combined (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) saw a significant increase from 79,216 in 1800 to 8,009,185 in 2000. The city with the highest percentage of the total population in 1800 is Manhattan, contributing with 76% of the total population with 60,515 rising to 1,538,096 while declining in percentage share with 19%.
Meanwhile, other districts in the year 1800 contributed with 24% of the total population of the city with 18,701. The numbers and the percentage saw a surge in the year 2000 rising to 81% and the number of population was 6,471,089, passing Manhattan for the first time.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the main broad pattern: the city’s population grew substantially, and Manhattan’s share fell while the other districts’ share rose. Several figures are reported accurately, including the 1800 and 2000 totals and the district figures for those years. However, the account omits the 1900 data, which is important because Manhattan’s population peaked at 1,850,093 (54%) before declining, while the other districts reached 1,587,109 (46%). The claim that all five districts saw a dramatic population rise is not established by the grouped figures, and “passing Manhattan for the first time” is unsupported by the selected years. Develop the comparison across all three dates and describe the grouped categories precisely to make the summary more complete and accurate.
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 former dominance with the other districts’ larger share by 2000, and transitions such as “Meanwhile” help signal a comparison. However, the progression is limited because the body largely repeats the 1800 and 2000 figures and leaves out the middle year, so the changes are not traced clearly over time. Some references are also imprecise: “the city with the highest percentage” refers to Manhattan, which is a district rather than a city, and “the numbers and the percentage” is vague. Organise the details chronologically and use clear labels such as “Manhattan” and “the other four districts” throughout.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing change, including “dramatic leap,” “significant increase,” “declining,” and “surge.” These choices make the broad trends understandable, and you use relevant terms such as “percentage share” and “total population.” Some expressions are imprecise or unnatural, however: “the rise of population share percentage went in favour for other districts” is difficult to process, while “numbers and the percentage saw a surge” does not clearly identify what increased. “Passing Manhattan” is also an informal way to describe a comparison in a data report. Aim for concise, conventional collocations such as “the other districts’ share increased” and “their combined population exceeded Manhattan’s.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a contrast introduced by “while” and a time clause beginning “from the year 1800 to 2000.” The main information is generally understandable, but some sentence structures are awkward or incomplete. For example, “The city with the highest percentage … is Manhattan” shifts into the present tense while describing past data, and “with 60,515 rising to 1,538,096 while declining in percentage share” leaves the subject of “rising” and “declining” unclear. The sentence beginning “The numbers and the percentage saw a surge” also creates an unclear grammatical relationship. Use past-tense verbs consistently and make each comparison’s subject explicit; this will improve control while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.
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