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 dipicts the changes in total population of New York City over period of three centuries from 1800 to 2000. Second table shows changes in population in Manhattan. Third table compares the change in population in other four districts of New York City.

Over the period of time, the population in the city seen upword trends from 1800 to 2000. In 1800, there were 79,216 individuals were recorded, which in 1900 were multiplied more than four times that is 3,437,202. In 2000 the numbers jumped to 8,009,185. As time passed the population Percentage decreased in Manhattan and increased in other four districts.

In start of 1800, Manhattan was most populated district in the city with 76% of total that is 60,515 individuals. The other 18,701 lived in Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. In 1900 total of 54% of total population was inhibited in Manhattan. Percentage futher plummeted to 19% in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the overall rise in New York City’s population and the changing shares of Manhattan and the other districts, which are central features of the tables. The figures for the city total and Manhattan’s population share are generally reported accurately. However, the response does not complete the comparison: it gives no figures or trend for the other districts after 1800, even though their combined population rose to 6,471,089 and their share reached 81% by 2000. The overview is also brief, and the claim that the population “multiplied more than four times” by 1900 is inaccurate; it increased by far more than that. Select the main contrasts and report them accurately to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure: it introduces the tables, gives an overall trend, and then discusses district populations. This provides some organisation, and time references such as “In 1800,” “In 1900,” and “In 2000” help readers follow the chronology. However, progression is uneven because the final paragraph focuses on Manhattan and stops without explaining the corresponding rise in the other districts. Some linking is awkward or repetitive, as in “In 1900 total of 54% of total population,” and “As time passed” does not clearly connect the citywide increase with the changing district shares. Group the information by the main comparison and use clearer links between the figures to create a more complete progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “population,” “percentage,” “increased,” and “plummeted,” so the main subject is usually clear. There is also an attempt to vary wording with “jumped.” However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “dipicts” and “upword” are misspelled, while “inhibited” is not the right verb for people living in a place. “Multiplied more than four times” is also an imprecise collocation for describing a population increase. Use accurate, conventional reporting language and check spelling, especially for key terms. More precise vocabulary would help distinguish absolute population figures from percentages.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which in 1900 were multiplied…” and a time clause beginning “As time passed.” However, errors occur in basic sentence construction and agreement, and some sentences are difficult to interpret. For example, “In 1800, there were 79,216 individuals were recorded” combines two incompatible structures; “the population in the city seen” is missing a finite verb; and “In 1900 total of 54% of total population was…” lacks an article and has an awkward grammatical pattern. Review subject–verb structure, articles, and verb forms, then build complex sentences from accurate clauses. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the broad message, but they limit clarity.

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