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 table illustrate the layout of changes in the total population of New York city including five districts of the city from 1800 to 2000.

overall, New York city was included five districts.New york city was increasing the population over the period whereas,Manhatten district was carried most of the population than other districts.But Manhatten district population was fallen throughout the year.

In 1800,New York city was 79,216 the population but Manhatttam district was carried the most of the population 60,515 in 1800.Whereas the other districts were carried 18,701 as 24% of total population.In 1900 and 2000 New York city was increasing the population over the periods.Whereas ,Manhattan district was fallen the population from 1,[redacted phone] in 1900 to 1,[redacted phone] in 2000.The population of other districts including brooklyn,bronx,queens and staten island were risen the population from [redacted phone] to [redacted phone].But as percentage of total population decreased from 54% to 19% in Manhattan district than other districts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad trends: the city’s population grew substantially, Manhattan’s population fell after 1900, and the other districts gained both population and share. Several figures are accurate, including the 1800 total and Manhattan’s 2000 population. However, the overview is unclear and partly contradictory: it says Manhattan “carried most” of the population, then says its population “was fallen throughout the year,” although it rose sharply from 1800 to 1900 before declining. The 1900 and 2000 city totals are not reported, and the comparison of percentage shares is confused: Manhattan fell from 54% to 19%, while the other districts rose from 46% to 81%. The response is also six words below the 150-word minimum; the nine words copied from the prompt do not count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic paragraph structure, with an introduction, an overview and a paragraph of figures, and the response generally moves from the earlier year to later years. However, progression within paragraphs is often difficult to follow because ideas are repeated or joined awkwardly. For example, “In 1900 and 2000 New York city was increasing the population” is followed by a comparison of Manhattan, without clearly separating the city-wide trend from district figures. “Whereas” is repeatedly used to connect sentences, sometimes without a clear contrast, and punctuation spacing makes boundaries unclear. Organise the details into a clearer sequence: first summarise the overall population growth, then compare Manhattan with the combined other districts and their shares.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant topic vocabulary, including “total population,” “districts,” and “percentage,” so the main subject is usually recognisable. However, the range is limited and several repeated expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “carried the most of the population,” “was fallen the population,” and “were risen the population.” These choices make comparisons less clear and sometimes obscure whether a figure is a population or a share. There are also spelling and capitalisation problems in names, including “Manhatttam,” “Manhatten,” and lower-case district names. Use precise reporting verbs and collocations for trends, and check the spelling of proper nouns and number formatting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparisons, but the range of sentence structures is limited and complex sentences are often faulty. Errors in verb forms and sentence construction appear in examples such as “New York city was increasing the population,” “Manhatten district was carried,” and “the population … were risen.” Articles and agreement are also inconsistent, as in “the population of New York city” and “other districts … were risen the population.” Several clauses are joined with commas or “whereas” without a complete, well-formed structure, which makes relationships between ideas harder to understand. Practise accurate past-tense reporting patterns, such as “the population rose” and “Manhattan’s share fell,” and use shorter, complete sentences before attempting longer comparisons.

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

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