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 three tables depicts the fluctuation in the total number of people in New York City from 1800 to 2000 and the changes of population in the five districts of New York City(Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island) within the same period of time respectively.

Overall, population of all five districts have been increased over these years. while manhattan's population faced a significant decrease from [redacted phone].

In 1800, Manhattans' population contributed 76% of the total while other districts (brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten island) contributes only 24% of the totall population. 1900 was the year when Manhattans' population start facing a decresea and it reduced to 54% while other four districts gradually increased and went up to 46%.

Moreover, In 2000, the population of Manhattan shows a huge downfall and reduce to 19% whereas there is huge increased in population of the other four district and it contributed to 81% of the total.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad shift in population share: Manhattan falls from 76% to 19%, while the other districts rise from 24% to 81%. However, the response does not report the key figures for New York City’s total population, nor the actual district population counts, so the summary covers the tables only partially. The overview also says that all five districts increased, which is not accurate: Manhattan’s population rose between 1800 and 1900, then declined by 2000, from 1,850,093 to 1,538,096. Clarify this distinction and compare the city’s overall growth—from 79,216 to over 8 million—with the changing distribution among districts. These additions would make the main features more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the district shares at different dates. The sequence from 1800 to 1900 and then 2000 is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Moreover,” and “whereas” help connect points. However, the overview is not fully consistent with the later detail, and the repeated focus on percentages leaves the progression of the city’s total population unclear. Some transitions, such as “1900 was the year when,” are wordy rather than smoothly guiding the comparison. Organise the body around the main changes—total growth and the contrasting trends for Manhattan and the other districts—and use clearer references to avoid repeating “population” and “other districts.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “contributed,” “total,” “decrease,” and “increased,” and the reader can generally understand the comparisons. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate: “fluctuation” suggests repeated rises and falls, although the tables show changes across three dates; “huge downfall” is not a natural description of a population decline; and “contributed to 81%” is less precise than saying the districts accounted for that share. Spelling and word-form slips such as “totall,” “decresea,” and “increased” used as a noun also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise data-reporting language such as “rose,” “declined,” “accounted for,” and “share,” and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “whereas” and a relative clause in the introduction. Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in agreement, tense, articles, and sentence construction recur. For example, “The three tables depicts” should use a plural verb, while “population … have been increased” has incorrect agreement and an unnatural passive construction. “1900 was the year when … start facing” shifts tense incorrectly, and “In 2000, the population … shows … and reduce” does not maintain consistent tense or agreement. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, including “while” after a full stop and district names in lowercase. Use past-tense verbs consistently for the historical data and check each subject–verb pairing.

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.