Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 presents the changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000. The second and third tables present the changes of population in five districts of the city over the same period.

Overall, New York City is known to be populated in all five districts since 1800 and during 2000 the population rise up to over 8 million.

In the first table, it presents that during 1800 the population was only at 79 thousand and by 1900 it experience a significant increase of population at 3 million until 8 million in 2000.

The second table presents the district of Manhattan. In 1800, only 60 thousand of population is listed that is approximately 76%, followed by 1.8 million in 1900. By 2000, it shows that the figure witness a decrease of population reaching at about 1.5 million.

Moving on, the third table presents the other district which involves Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. In 1800, the population of the other districts are at 18 thousand and 1.5 million in 1900 respectively. In contrast, the population grew by 2000 riwsing up to 6 million at about 81%

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the tables and report the main overall contrast: the city’s population grew substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share rose. The figures you give are broadly consistent with the data, including Manhattan’s fall from about 1.8 million to 1.5 million and the other districts’ rise to roughly 6 million and 81%. However, the overview is unclear: “known to be populated in all five districts since 1800” does not identify the key changes, and it would be more useful to state that the total population increased while Manhattan’s proportion declined. Some details are also underdeveloped, particularly the change in the other districts between 1800 and 1900. Add the 2000 total precisely and compare the districts’ shares across all three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the total population, Manhattan, and the other districts. This makes the information generally easy to locate. However, progression is weakened by repetitive openings such as “The first table presents” and “The second table presents,” and the overview does not clearly prepare the reader for the comparisons that follow. Some linking is mechanical or imprecise: “Moving on” signals a new section, but “respectively” in the other-district paragraph does not clearly connect the two figures to their years. The final paragraph also ends abruptly. Use a concise overview, group related comparisons, and make references between years and figures explicit to create a smoother progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “significant increase,” “decrease,” “population,” and “approximately,” so the main trends can be understood. However, the range is limited and several choices are unnatural or imprecise for describing tables. For example, “changes of population” would be more naturally expressed as “changes in population,” while “the figure witness a decrease of population” is an awkward collocation. “The population grew by 2000” is also unclear; “had risen by 2000” would express the trend more accurately. There is a spelling error in “riwsing,” and repeated use of “presents” makes the description less varied. Build a small set of accurate trend verbs and comparison phrases, and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the reader can usually follow the intended comparisons. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “it experience a significant increase” needs a past-tense verb, and “the figure witness a decrease” has an incorrect verb form. In “the population of the other districts are,” the singular subject “population” requires a singular verb. The sentence beginning “In the first table, it presents that” also has an unclear construction; use a direct subject, such as “The table shows that…”. Some sentences lack clear punctuation or are incomplete, especially the final one. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and vary sentence structures while keeping each comparison grammatically complete.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.