Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-22

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 shows the overall population of the new york city that changes from 1800 to 2000.And the second and third table compares population changes of the five district of the city(Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) at the same period.

Overall, population of the new york city in initial year is low and it becomes more than triple in final year. Manhattan has more population percentage than other districts in new york. while other districts have been increased in last year than compared to any others district in other year.

Firstly, in 1800 the overall population was 79,216. It was divided into two half with one manhattan and other districts with the percentage of 76% in manhattan and 24% in other districts. However, total population in 1900 were divided into manhattan and other districts with little differnce in population count, it has the percentage with manhattan 54% and other 46%.

According to 2000 the overall pepele in new york was 8,009,185 and some of the people belongs into manhattan district and others were belongs to remaining districts.Moreover in 2000 most of the people were in other districts like brooklyn, bronx, queens, staten island with 81% of overall and 19% remains in manhattan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the overall rise in New York City’s population and the major shift from Manhattan to the other districts, which are relevant features. The figures you give for 1800 and 2000, and the district shares for all three years, match the tables. However, the overview is unclear and includes an inaccurate comparison: Manhattan did not have a larger share than the other districts throughout the period; its share fell from 76% to 19%, while the other districts became dominant. The claim that the total population became “more than triple” in the final year is also imprecise, as it rose from about 3.4 million in 1900 to 8 million in 2000. Include the 1900 and 2000 population totals and describe the contrasting trends more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the figures. Sequencing the details by year helps the reader follow the comparisons, and transitions such as “Firstly,” “However,” and “Moreover” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, progression is weakened by unclear or repetitive phrasing, including “According to 2000” and “other districts like … with 81% of overall.” Some linking words do not express the relationship precisely, and the overview repeats ideas without clearly summarising the main change. Use a concise overview, then organise the body around the population totals and the changing shares, with clear references to each year and group.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “overall population,” “percentage,” “districts,” and “remaining districts,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “divided into two half,” “population count,” and “most of the people were in other districts.” There are also spelling errors, including “differnce” and “pepele,” and inconsistent capitalisation of “New York City” and district names. These issues make parts of the report less clear and less precise. Practise standard data-reporting phrases such as “accounted for,” “share of the total,” and “the population rose,” and check spelling and proper nouns carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, for example, “However, total population in 1900 were divided…” and “Moreover in 2000 most of the people were…”. However, errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships difficult to follow. Subject–verb agreement is inconsistent (“population … were”), and sentence construction is faulty in phrases such as “some of the people belongs into Manhattan” and “others were belongs.” Articles, plurals, and punctuation also need attention: the opening has a run-on after “2000,” and several sentences lack spaces after full stops. Use straightforward, controlled structures: “In 1900, Manhattan accounted for 54% of the population, compared with 46% in the other districts.” Then check agreement, verb forms, and sentence boundaries.

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.