Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-26

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 illustrate the changes between all five districts of population of new york city throughout the period of 1800 to 2000.other two table gives information about populating dynamics of five districts of the city over the same years.

overall it can evident that in new york city according to first table population sharply rose end of the year .In second table population become drmatically decreased .At last in third table districts public percentage was increased.

In first table ,New york city population was 79,216 in the 1800.But after that In 1900,population become tripled and at the end number of population was 8,009,185 in 2000.In second table,Manhattan district population in 1800 was 76 percent instead of that in 1900 and 2000 total population as percentage was 54 and 19 respectively.

In 1800, third table of other district population was 24 percent and In 1900 the percentage of population become doubled.At the last throughtout the period In 2000, population become highly increased.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad pattern that New York City’s population increased and that the population share of the other districts grew, so the response includes relevant features from the tables. However, several key details are unclear or inaccurate: the city’s population did not triple between 1800 and 1900; it rose from 79,216 to 3,437,202. You also describe Manhattan’s figures of 76%, 54% and 19% as its “population,” when they are percentages of the city total, and omit its actual population figures and its decline from 1900 to 2000. The overview is difficult to interpret and does not clearly compare the overall growth with Manhattan’s changing share. Select the main trends accurately and support them with precise comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs referring to the tables. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is organised. However, progression is limited because the discussion follows “first,” “second” and “third” table labels rather than grouping related trends into a clear comparison. The overview’s statements—“population sharply rose” and “districts public percentage was increased”—are vague, and references such as “that” and “at the last” do not make the relationships between figures clear. Use a concise overview, then organise details around the city’s total growth and the contrasting changes in Manhattan and the other districts. More accurate linking and referencing would make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “population,” “percentage,” “period” and “increased,” which helps communicate the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations make the meaning unclear. For example, “population dynamics” is not used precisely here, “districts public percentage” is difficult to understand, and “population become tripled” is not a natural way to describe the change. There are also spelling and form errors, such as “drmatically” and “populating.” Aim for precise terms such as “population share,” “accounted for” and “rose from … to …”; these will help you report the figures accurately without relying on repeated uses of “population” and “increased.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple statements and longer sentences, and the reader can usually recognise the intended topic. However, sentence structures are limited, and errors in verb forms, articles, agreement and punctuation occur frequently enough to make some statements difficult to interpret. Examples include “The first table illustrate,” “it can evident,” and “population become drmatically decreased.” The opening also runs sentences together after “2000,” while capitalisation and sentence boundaries are inconsistent. Practise accurate basic patterns first—for example, “The first table illustrates…” and “The population increased…”—then use controlled comparisons such as “whereas” to vary sentence structure. Check that each sentence has a correctly formed verb and clear punctuation.

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.