Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-18

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 shows changes in overall population of the New York City from year 1800 to 2000. while the second table shows how the population varied in the five districts of the city ((Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) for the same period.

The tables discused population of New York City for the of 200 years from 1800 to 2000, and distrubution of the population in its five districts. Where Manhattan accomodated higher percentage of people in first 100 years, but population started shifting to other districts in later years.

In 1800s 60,515 people lived in Manhattan which was 76% of the total New York city. But shift started in early 1900s when Manhattan accomodated just over half of the overall population of New York city which was 54% and only 19% people lived in 2000.

Where, percentage of population in other districts was only 24% colletivily of the total population of the city. but more and more people started to settle in these districts which was 46% in 1900 and 81% in 2000 of the overall New York population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main change in the district shares: Manhattan’s proportion falls from 76% to 19%, while the other districts’ combined share rises from 24% to 81%. You also include the relevant population figures for Manhattan and compare the three years. However, the response does not report the overall city population figures shown in the first table, and the city’s substantial growth is therefore missing from the account. Some details are also imprecise: “In 1800s” does not clearly identify 1800, and “shift started in early 1900s” is not established by the three data points. A clearer overview and fuller coverage of both tables would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to a summary of Manhattan and then the other districts. This gives the reader a general sense of the comparison. However, progression is limited because the second paragraph repeats the task description rather than presenting a concise overview, and several sentences begin with “Where” or “But,” creating awkward links between ideas. The repeated references to population shares also make the account feel repetitive. Organise the response around an overview followed by a direct comparison of the figures across the three years, and use clear links such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile” where they express the relationship accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “overall population,” “percentage,” “settle,” and “distribution.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which makes parts of the report less natural. For example, “population started shifting” suggests movement that the tables do not directly show, while “accommodated” is not the most suitable verb for describing the number of residents. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “discused,” “distrubution,” “accomodated,” and “colletivily.” Use precise reporting language such as “accounted for,” “represented,” and “the combined population of the other districts,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some complex structures, including “Where Manhattan accommodated higher percentage of people…” and clauses beginning with “when,” but these attempts are often faulty or incomplete. “Where Manhattan…” is a fragment, as is “Where, percentage of population…”; the opening sentence also has a sentence-boundary error after “2000.” Articles and sentence construction are inconsistent, as in “higher percentage” and “the overall population of New York city.” The past-tense reporting is generally understandable, but the limited range and recurring structural errors make the relationships between ideas less clear. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use accurate punctuation when joining contrasting clauses.

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