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 tables show total population of New York city from 1800 to 2000 and changes in population of the five districts of the city over the same period.

Overall, Population increased with time and precentage of total inhabitants is sensitively flactuating.

Initially, in 1800 population in New York wasd 79216, increasing steady in 1900 to [redacted phone] denizens and reaching it peak in 2000 to [redacted phone] citizens.

In Manhatten as precentage shows there has been gradual decline among all three yeasr from 76% to 54% to 19%, but the population has expanded by thousands of residents.

In other districts like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten island, there has been dramatic increase. In 1800 populations was 18701 at 24%, than in 1900 it substantially grew to [redacted phone] populace and finally reached its summit with [redacted phone] individuals at 81%.

Although every one of them continued to rise, most of the population increase happened in New York.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main overall rise in New York City’s population and the contrasting shift in population share from Manhattan to the other districts. Several figures are accurate, including the city totals and the other districts’ 2000 population and 81% share. However, the overview is unclear: “percentage of total inhabitants is sensitively fluctuating” does not accurately summarise the steady decline in Manhattan’s share and rise in the other districts’ share. You also say Manhattan’s population “has expanded,” although it fell from 1,850,093 in 1900 to 1,538,096 in 2000. The final claim that “every one of them continued to rise” is therefore inaccurate. The response is 135 words, below the 150-word minimum; this limits the detail and development of the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the city total, Manhattan, and the other districts. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression is weakened by an unclear overview and by the final sentence, which introduces a broad claim without resolving the earlier comparison. Linking is limited and sometimes awkward: “Initially” and “In other districts” help signal shifts, but “Although every one of them continued to rise” does not connect logically with the data, since Manhattan’s population declined after 1900. Group the figures into a clear comparison of total population, Manhattan, and the combined other districts, and use accurate references to make the relationships between figures explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “gradual decline,” “dramatic increase,” “reached its peak,” and “percentage.” This shows an attempt to vary the language rather than repeat “population” throughout. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for a formal report: “sensitively fluctuating” does not express the trend, “denizens,” “populace,” and “citizens” are unsuitable substitutes for population figures, and “expanded” misrepresents Manhattan’s later decline. Spelling errors such as “precentage,” “flactuating,” “Manhatten,” and “yeasr” are also noticeable. Prefer precise, conventional terms such as “share,” “rose,” “fell,” and “population,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer comparative sentences, for example, “In Manhattan as percentage shows there has been gradual decline…” and “In other districts… there has been dramatic increase.” However, control is uneven, and errors recur in sentence structure, articles, agreement, and verb forms. Examples include “Initially, in 1800 population in New York wasd 79216,” where the sentence lacks an article and contains an incorrect verb form, and “In 1800 populations was 18701,” where the subject and verb do not agree. The sentence beginning “Although every one of them…” is also structurally awkward and makes the relationship between ideas unclear. Build accurate simple sentences first, then add comparisons using controlled clauses; check articles, singular/plural agreement, and punctuation.

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

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