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 first chart shows the change of population in New York City over the time from 1800 to 2000.The second chart shows the change of population in the Manhattan district while the third chart shows the change of population in the other four districts of New York City.

From 1800s to 1900s, population increase in the New York City by about 4 times.In contrast,from 1900s to 2000s the population becomes double in the New York City.The comparison of Manhattan with the other four districts of New York City looks very interesting as in the 1800,the total population of Manhattan was 3 times of the other four districts which made about 76% of the New York City.In 1900,the population of other four districts became compareable to that of Manhattan.A huge change in poplation of other four districts appears in 2000 where the population of these ditricts became 4 times of that of the New York City.

Overall the population of the New York City is increasing during the whole period because of the dramatic increase of population in all the districts except Manhattan which first shows an increase in population and then a decline after it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad rise in New York City’s population and the contrasting pattern for Manhattan, which increased to 1900 before declining by 2000. You also compare Manhattan’s share with that of the other districts. However, several key figures and trends are inaccurate: the city’s population rose from about 79,000 to 3.44 million and then 8.01 million, not by “about 4 times” and then simply “double” as phrased. In 2000, the other districts had about 6.47 million people—around four times Manhattan’s population, not four times the city’s total. The overview also incorrectly says all districts except Manhattan increased, although the combined other districts did increase. More precise reporting and a clearer overview would make the main features more fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph comparing population changes, and a concluding overview. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the information. Linking expressions such as “In contrast” and “Overall” help signal relationships, and the comparison between Manhattan and the other districts is relevant. However, the progression within the main paragraph is sometimes difficult to follow because several comparisons and figures are compressed into long sentences. The phrase “the population of these districts became 4 times of that of the New York City” also makes the comparison unclear. Separate the city-wide trend from the district comparison, and use clearer references such as “Manhattan’s population” and “the combined population of the other districts” to improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “population,” “dramatic increase,” “decline,” and “comparison.” These choices communicate the general subject and show an attempt to vary expression. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, including “change of population,” “population increase,” and “became compareable.” “The population becomes double” is also an awkward way to describe a numerical trend. Spelling errors such as “poplation,” “ditricts,” and “compareable” are noticeable and reduce accuracy. Use standard trend language such as “population growth,” “rose,” “doubled,” and “fell,” and check spelling carefully. More precise terms for proportions and comparisons would also help distinguish population totals from percentages.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a contrast clause beginning “while” and a concluding sentence with “because.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but some grammatical errors make relationships between figures less clear. Examples include “From 1800s to 1900s, population increase,” where the time expression and verb form are not controlled, and “the population becomes double,” which shifts tense in a past-period description. The sentence beginning “The comparison … looks very interesting as in the 1800” is also awkwardly constructed, and punctuation is missing after several full stops and commas. Use past-tense verbs consistently, add articles where needed, and divide long sentences into clearer units. These changes would improve accuracy while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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