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 tables illustrates the changes in the total poplations of New York city and aslo 5 different districts entire recidence from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, the polpulation has incresed significantly over the years,However percentage of Manhattan districts accouted decline, while other districts whole percentage of residence has surged up.

In year 1800, enitre new york city population was 79,216 thousands, whereas at Manhattan te amount was 60,515 and overall figure was at 76% of the entire citizens and other area stood at 18,701 and 24%. However after a century the city's full inhabitant increased rapidly to 3,437,202. Manhattan population also accounted incline to 1,850,093 but the percentage decreased to 54%. While others districts residents and overall percentage both increased to 1,587,109 and 46%.

Lastly in 2000 the total polulaton was at 8,009,185 after increasing. The population and oercentage both followed a decreasing trend to 1,538,096 and 19% in Manhattan districts. Nevertheless the other areas popolation an dpercentage both increased considerably to 6,471,089 and 81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages and make the key comparison clear: New York’s total population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share grew. Most figures are reported accurately, including the 1900 and 2000 totals and the changing percentages. However, the overview could be more precise: Manhattan’s population itself rose between 1800 and 1900 before falling by 2000, so the decline applies to its share across the period, not to its population throughout. The phrase “79,216 thousands” also misstates the 1800 total. More clearly distinguishing population counts from percentages, and highlighting that Manhattan remained the largest district grouping in 1900 but was overtaken by the other districts by 2000, would make the summary more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and chronological paragraphs covering 1800, 1900 and 2000. This makes the information easy to follow, and transitions such as “after a century” and “Lastly” help signal changes in time. However, some linking is mechanical or awkward, particularly the repeated use of “However” and “While” to begin comparisons. The overview’s contrast is useful, but the later paragraphs sometimes combine population and percentage changes without clearly signalling which measure is being discussed. For example, the 2000 sentence says both “population and percentage” followed a decreasing trend, although this applies only to Manhattan. Use clearer topic sentences and references, and connect each figure explicitly to its district and measure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing tables and trends, including “increased rapidly,” “percentage,” “decline,” and “increased considerably.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main comparisons. However, inaccurate word choice and spelling are noticeable and sometimes make the meaning less clear: “entire residence” does not naturally describe district populations, and “accounted incline” is not an appropriate collocation. There are also repeated misspellings, including “poplations,” “polpulation,” and “polulaton,” which reduce the accuracy of the response. Aim for a smaller set of precise, natural expressions such as “population,” “accounted for,” “rose,” and “fell,” and check spelling carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons introduced by “whereas” and “while,” and the overall meaning is generally recoverable. However, some grammatical errors affect clarity. The opening sentence has subject–verb disagreement (“The tables illustrates”), and the overview contains a run-on construction after “years” with no space or suitable punctuation before “However.” In “the city's full inhabitant increased,” the singular noun does not fit the intended meaning, while “the population and percentage both followed a decreasing trend” has unclear agreement and reference. Work on subject–verb agreement, articles and plural forms, and use full stops or conjunctions to separate complete clauses. More consistently accurate sentence patterns would make your comparisons easier to understand.

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