Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-27

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 displays variation in overall population of New York city from 1800 to 200, Where as the second and thrid table show changes in residents of five disctricts of the city over the same period.

As shown in the first table between the time period of two centuries total population of New York grown significantly with around 80 Thousand during 1800 to 3.4 Million in 1900 all the way to just above 8 Million in 2000.

Now the second table displays population change of Manhattan only which had highest ratio of 76% among overall population during first century while others combined covered only 24% but the numbers in population reversed within this period steadily over two centuries like Manhattan had 54 percent population where as other four districts had 46 percent ratio and they ended up with Manhattan covering 19% and other districts had 81% of the total population.

Overall It is clearly visible that change in population of New York city is impacted by increase in numbers from all five districts not just Manhattan which was dominant in early 1800 but others in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main overall rise, reporting growth from about 80,000 in 1800 to 3.4 million in 1900 and just over 8 million in 2000. You also capture the key shift in population share: Manhattan falls from 76% to 19%, while the other districts rise from 24% to 81%. However, the account is only partly developed. It does not report Manhattan’s actual population, including its decline from 1,850,093 in 1900 to 1,538,096 in 2000, and the overview that growth came from all five districts is not clearly supported by the figures given. The response also refers to the second table as showing Manhattan only, although it compares Manhattan with the other districts. Select and explain the most significant changes more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on total population, a comparison of district shares, and a concluding overview. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “while” and “whereas” help signal contrasts. However, the progression is not consistently clear. The long sentence beginning “Now the second table displays” combines three time points and several comparisons, making the information difficult to follow. The final overview comes after the detailed comparisons and repeats the general idea of population change without clearly summarising the main pattern. Use separate sentences or paragraphs for the total population and the district distribution, and make the overview concise and explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “overall population,” “ratio,” “combined,” “reversed,” and “dominant.” These choices show an attempt to vary language rather than simply repeat “population.” However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural for a table summary: “variation in overall population,” “numbers in population reversed,” and “impacted by increase in numbers” do not clearly describe the trends. Spelling errors such as “thrid,” “disctricts,” and “Where as” are also noticeable. Aim for accurate, conventional collocations such as “the population increased,” “the share fell,” and “accounted for,” and check spelling and capitalisation before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt longer sentences and use subordinate clauses to compare figures, but control is inconsistent, which sometimes makes relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “between the time period of two centuries total population of New York grown significantly” is missing an article and a correctly formed verb phrase; it should be something like “Over the two centuries, New York’s total population grew significantly.” The sentence beginning “Now the second table displays” also has unclear clause structure and punctuation, while “Manhattan covering 19% and other districts had 81%” shifts awkwardly between grammatical forms. Use a mix of shorter, accurate sentences and carefully controlled complex comparisons, paying particular attention to articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries.

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