Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-24
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 chart illustrates the changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000 and in the next charts the population of five districts(Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronyx, Queens, Staten Island) are given.
The total populace of New York City in 1800 is 79216 and in the next 100 Years it reaches to 3,437,202. Itis not enough for this huge City and in 2000 the total indivisuals are 8,009,185.
the residents of Manhattan in 1800 is 76% of the total wage and in 1900 the peoples are 54%. In next 100 years the indivisuals are 19%.
The population of other districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) in 1800 is 24% of the total citizens and in 1900 the population is 46%. When the time is passes the population of other districts is increased and the public of the Manhattan is decreased. In 2000 the population of other districts is 81% of the total inhabitants
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You report the main overall rise in New York City’s population and the shift in population share from Manhattan to the other districts. The figures you give for the total population and the percentages are accurate, and the comparison between 1900 and 2000 is relevant. However, the response is only 142 words, below the required 150, and this limits how fully you can summarise the tables. You omit the actual population figures for Manhattan and the other districts, including the important fact that Manhattan’s population fell from 1,850,093 in 1900 to 1,538,096 in 2000 even as the city total continued to grow. Add a concise overview and select key figures to support the trends.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response follows a broadly sensible order: it begins with the city total, then discusses Manhattan and the other districts. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, the ideas are not clearly divided into paragraphs, and the opening sentence is awkwardly joined (“and in the next charts…”). Connections between points are also limited; “When the time is passes” is an inaccurate transition, while “in the next 100 years” is repeated without clearly anchoring the comparison. Use a short introduction, a distinct overview, and one or two body paragraphs organised around the population changes. Clear links such as “By contrast” and “Meanwhile” would make comparisons easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some relevant terms, including “total population,” “districts,” “increased,” and “decreased,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the vocabulary range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unsuitable for formal data description. “Total wage” does not express population share, and “public” is not an appropriate substitute for residents. “Indivisuals” is misspelled and repeated, while “populace” and “citizens” are less precise than “population” or “residents” in this context. Aim for accurate, consistent terms rather than varying them with near-synonyms. Phrases such as “accounted for” and “population share” would help describe the percentages more naturally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response communicates its basic meaning through mostly simple statements, with a few attempts to link clauses. However, grammatical errors are frequent, and the range of sentence structures is limited. For example, “The total populace … in 1800 is” uses a present verb for past data, and “the residents of Manhattan … is 76%” has subject–verb disagreement. The sentence “When the time is passes” also has an incorrect verb construction. There are further problems with sentence boundaries and spacing, as in “Itis not enough,” and the opening sentence is difficult to control. Use past-tense forms consistently (“was,” “reached,” “accounted for”) and check agreement and punctuation in each sentence.
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