Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-19

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 1st tables dipicts the New York's total population over 2 centuries from 1800 to 2000. The other two graphs represents the changings in overall population over the same period of time in the five districts of New York.

Overall, the population of all districts increased significantly from 1800 to onward. The %age of total population in 2000 rose rapidly in other districts as compared to the Manhattan. However, the proportion of total population in Manhattan vs other districts dropped dramtically.

The total number of people in the New York city incresed with the passage of time from around 79 thousand to 8 million in 2000.

The Population of Manhattan in 1800 was around 60 thousand, three-quarter of total population, making up the highest of all. However, the population of four districts combine made up to a little over 18,000, of one third of overall population. The population in 2000 was around 1 million, 19% of overall to 6 Million, over 80% of all population. However, in 1900 population almost remained the same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall change: New York’s population grew from about 79,000 to 8 million, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share rose. These are relevant features, and the comparison between the 1800 and 2000 proportions is useful. However, some key information is unclear or inaccurate. The other districts accounted for 24% in 1800, not one third, and Manhattan’s population in 2000 was about 1.54 million, not around 1 million. The statement that the population “almost remained the same” in 1900 is unsupported and appears to confuse the figures: Manhattan rose to 1.85 million, while the other districts reached 1.59 million. Include the 1900-to-2000 changes more clearly and distinguish population totals from percentages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and details, and it uses linking words such as “Overall,” “However” and “from…to.” This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression is weakened by unclear references and abrupt comparisons. For example, “The population in 2000 was around 1 million, 19% of overall to 6 Million” does not clearly identify which figure belongs to Manhattan and which to the other districts. “However” is also repeated where the relationship between ideas is not always a contrast. Organise the details chronologically or by Manhattan versus the other districts, and use explicit labels and linking phrases so each comparison is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “total population,” “proportion,” “increased significantly” and “making up,” so the main topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, sometimes making the data difficult to interpret. “Graphs” is not the right description for the tables, while “changings in overall population” is awkward and imprecise. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “dipicts,” “incresed” and “dramtically,” and informal forms such as “%age” and “6 Million.” Use accurate table-related terms, check spelling, and choose precise expressions such as “population share” and “accounted for” when describing proportions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “However” and a comparison using “from…to.” The main message can usually be understood, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, “The other two graphs represents” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “The population of four districts combine made up to” has an incorrect verb form and sentence construction. The final sentence, “However, in 1900 population almost remained the same,” is also missing an article and does not make the comparison clear. Some sentences join figures without a complete grammatical relationship. Practise accurate agreement, articles and verb forms, and build comparisons as complete sentences with clearly stated subjects.

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