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 given table illustrates the changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000. While the second and third table show changes in the population of five districts, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island respectively over the same proportion of time.

Overall, the population of New York City increased continuously and massively throughout the time period, tranforming from relatively small city into a major mertropolis with millions of residents.

In 1800, the combined population of all five districts was quite small, standing at just 79,216 residents. However, the city witnessed an explosive increase in its numbers over the next hundred years. By 2000, the population had increased 3 millions in number than 1900.

Comparing all five districts, in 1800, Manhattan was a dominant area with 76% of the total population. Meanwhile, the other four districts combined held only 24%. By 1900, both surged in size and the Manhattan increase to its peak but decreased in percentage at 54%, while other four districts reached upto 46%. By 2000, Manhattan decreased its population to 19% and other four districts gained increase in population to 81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall pattern: New York City’s population grew substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share rose. The figures for 1800 and the percentage comparisons are accurate, and the response covers both the city total and district distribution. However, some key information is incomplete or unclear. The total population reached 8,009,185 in 2000, but “increased 3 millions in number than 1900” does not report this endpoint accurately; the increase was about 4.6 million. You also say Manhattan’s population “decreased” by 2000 without giving its actual figure, and the other districts’ absolute population growth is not clearly described. Develop these comparisons with the supplied totals and distinguish population numbers from percentages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs of detail. The overview gives the reader a useful central trend, and comparisons are signalled with “However,” “Meanwhile,” and “By 2000.” However, progression is uneven: the city-wide figures and district comparisons are not consistently developed, and the sentence about the increase from 1900 to 2000 is difficult to follow. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “By 2000” and “in 1800.” The opening sentence also combines the tables awkwardly, making the relationship between the total and district data less clear. Organise the details in a more deliberate sequence and use clear references to the relevant years and populations.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “increased,” “dominant,” “surged,” and “percentage,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There is some variety in describing change, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal for an academic report. “Explosive increase” is overstated, while “gained increase in population” and “increased 3 millions in number than 1900” are unnatural and obscure the intended comparison. Spelling errors such as “tranforming” and “mertropolis” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, neutral expressions such as “rose sharply,” “accounted for,” and “the population was approximately 4.6 million higher.” Check spelling and use standard collocations for numerical comparisons.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex forms, including the opening “While” clause and the contrast introduced by “However,” and most of the message remains understandable. Some grammatical errors nevertheless affect clarity. In “the second and third table show,” the plural subject requires “tables”; “the Manhattan increase” needs a possessive or a different construction, such as “Manhattan’s population increased”; and “other four districts” requires “the.” The comparison “increased 3 millions in number than 1900” is also structurally faulty. There are tense and sentence-boundary issues in the opening, where the “While” clause is left as a separate sentence fragment. Practise accurate comparative structures and check agreement, articles, and complete clauses while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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