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 illustrates the change in population of New York city from 1800 to 2000. The other two tables illustrates the change in population of five different districts of the city (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island).

Overall, the population of New York City increased immensely. Most of the people were in Manhattan city which reduced later however, in other districts the population increased over the given timeframe.

In 1800 the population in New York was 79,216 which increased dramatically to 8,009,185 in 2000.The population distributed into five different districts of the city. First is Manhattan in 1800 76% of the total population i.e. 60,515 were settled there which significantly reduced to 54% i.e. 1,850,093 in 1900 and finally 19% i.e. 1,538,096 in 2000.

In other four districts the percent of total individuals present were 24 in 1800 which increased substantially. In 1900 the percentage increased to 46 and finally to 81 in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main overall contrast: New York City’s population grew greatly, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share rose. The figures you give for the city total and Manhattan are accurate, and you report the percentage changes for the other districts. However, the response is under the required 150 words, with 135 words counted; the 20 words copied from the task prompt are excluded. This limits how fully you can report the data. In particular, you omit the combined population figures for the other districts and do not explain that Manhattan’s population itself peaked in 1900 before declining by 2000. Develop these comparisons and include a fuller overview to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about Manhattan and the other districts. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression is limited: the final paragraph reports only percentages, while the earlier detail focuses on Manhattan, so the comparison between the two groups is not fully developed. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated sequence “in 1800,” “in 1900” and “finally.” The sentence beginning “First is Manhattan” is also awkwardly organised, making the sequence of figures harder to follow. Use clearer topic sentences and connect the population totals with their shares so that each paragraph develops a distinct comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some suitable language for describing trends, including “increased dramatically,” “reduced,” and “increased substantially.” These choices communicate the broad changes, and the vocabulary is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and some expressions are imprecise or unnatural for a data summary. For example, “Most of the people were in Manhattan city” is an awkward way to describe the district’s share, while “percent of total individuals present” is unnecessarily wordy. “The population distributed into five different districts” also does not express the intended idea naturally. Use precise terms such as “accounted for,” “population share,” and “residents,” and vary trend language without relying on general intensifiers. This would make comparisons clearer and more concise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You communicate the main information using both simple sentences and some longer structures, including the contrast introduced by “however.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in agreement, sentence construction, and punctuation recur. For example, “The other two tables illustrates” should use a plural verb, and “the population distributed into five different districts” is missing a suitable verb form. The long sentence beginning “First is Manhattan in 1800” lacks clear punctuation and a well-formed structure for presenting the figures. There is also no space after the full stop in “2000.The.” Practise building accurate comparison sentences, for example, “Manhattan’s share fell from 76% in 1800 to 19% in 2000,” and check subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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