Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-28

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 initial table illustrates the overall population of Newyork city over the period from 1800 to 2000.The subsequent and final table display the inhabitants size of the five boroughs (namely:Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Islands) for the same period.

Overall, the total population of the city increased by threefolds over the period.Manhattan stood the largest populated district than others but gradually decreases till the end of the period whereas, others districts showed the contrasting results.

In 1800, the size of the residents of Newyork were 79,216 containing 76% from Manhattan and 24% from other districts.Moreover, 1900 year record showed 3,437,202 as overall population contributing 54% from Manhattan and 46% from others whereas, year 2000 showed the increase in overall population about 8,009,185 but from other states i.e, 81% than 19% from Manhattan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the overall rise in New York City’s population and the changing balance between Manhattan and the other districts, which are central features of the tables. The figures you give for the three years and the percentages are accurate. However, the overview is partly unclear: “increased by threefolds” does not describe the rise from 79,216 to 8,009,185 accurately, and Manhattan was not the largest district compared with each other borough; the table compares it with the other four combined. The response also gives little detail about the population figures for Manhattan and the other districts, and the required minimum of 150 words is not met. Develop the key comparisons more fully and state the trends precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph reporting figures for 1800, 1900 and 2000. This gives the reader a basic progression through the information. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Moreover” and “whereas” help connect ideas, although some are used mechanically or do not clearly express the relationship between the figures. For example, the long final sentence combines all three years and makes the comparisons difficult to follow. Separate the data into clearer sentences, and use references such as “the city’s total” and “the combined population of the other districts” to make comparisons easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of topic-related vocabulary, including “overall population,” “inhabitants” and “contrasting results,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “the period” and “contributing.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “inhabitants size,” “threefolds,” “largest populated district,” and “other states” do not express the intended meanings precisely. “Newyork” and “Staten Islands” also show spelling or naming inaccuracies. Choose standard collocations for describing population and use “districts” or “boroughs” consistently. More precise vocabulary would make the comparisons clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “whereas,” and the main meaning can usually be understood. However, some errors in sentence structure, agreement and punctuation reduce accuracy. For example, “the subsequent and final table display” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “Manhattan stood the largest populated district … but gradually decreases” shifts tense and has an incomplete comparison. Several sentences also run together without spaces after full stops, and the final sentence is overloaded with clauses. Use past-tense verbs consistently for the historical data, check singular and plural agreement, and divide long sentences so each comparison has a clear grammatical structure.

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