Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-25

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 tables illustrates the number of population in New york city and the other two tables shows the number and percentage of the population in five districts of New York city such as Manhattan Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island. during a period from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, it is clear that the number of population has been increased dramatically, whereas in manhattan the number of population decreased slightly.

In 1800, the number of population in New York city was 79,216, rose sharply to become 3,437,202 in 1900 then, 8,009,185 in 2000. The population in Manhattan was 60,515 accounted for 76% of the city. in 1900, fell to 54%. Manhattan recorded as the lowest proportion of population at 19% in 2000 with 1,538,096.

Othe districts constituted 24% of the population in New York city, by 18,701. edged up at 46% with 1,587,109. In 2000, other districts constibuted 81% of the population, by 6,471,089.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You report the main overall contrast accurately: New York City’s population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell, and the other districts’ share grew. The figures for all three years are generally consistent with the tables, including Manhattan’s decline in population between 1900 and 2000. This gives the response relevant coverage of the data. However, some comparisons are not fully developed: the overview could state more clearly that Manhattan’s population peaked in 1900 before falling, while the other districts became the clear majority by 2000. Also, “the lowest proportion” is not a comparison supported across all districts, since the table groups the four other districts together. A sharper overview and more precise comparisons would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs reporting the figures. This makes the main information reasonably easy to follow, and the chronological order helps organise the data. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or unclear. For example, “in 1900, fell to 54%” has no clear subject, and “Othe districts constituted 24% ... by 18,701. edged up at 46%” does not clearly connect the population figures with the percentages. Some sentence boundaries and capitalisation also interrupt the flow. Grouping the figures into complete comparisons—for example, describing each group’s population and share together for each year—would create clearer progression and more reliable links between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant reporting language, including “rose sharply,” “accounted for,” and “constituted,” which helps communicate changes and proportions. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural, such as “number of population,” “has been increased,” and “edged up at 46%.” Spelling and capitalisation also need attention: “Othe,” “constibuted,” and repeated lowercase “manhattan” reduce accuracy. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the main trends, but they make the report less precise and fluent. Use standard data-reporting phrases consistently, such as “the population stood at” and “the share rose to,” and check spelling and proper nouns carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the main figures and trends can generally be understood. However, errors in sentence construction and verb forms are noticeable. The opening sentence has subject–verb agreement problems (“The first tables illustrates” and “the other two tables shows”), while “the number of population has been increased” uses an incorrect passive form. The fragment “in 1900, fell to 54%” lacks a subject, and “Othe districts constituted ... by 18,701. edged up at 46%” contains an incomplete sentence. Capitalisation and punctuation around sentence starts also need more consistent control. Build each comparison around a clear subject and verb, and use past simple forms for these historical figures.

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