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 first table illustrates the difference of population in New York between 1800 and 2000. On the other hand, rest of the two table provides the same information but in five different cities of the New York in same time period.

Overall, The population of New york city increaded rapidly.Similarly, in other districts's population had increased noticeably. Whereas, in manhattan the percentage of total population has been decrease over the time.

New york city, The number of population in 1800 was 79,216. After that, this figure increased rapidly from 3,437,202 to 8,009,185 in 2000. On the other hand, Manhattan followed the down trend. in 1800, population was 60,515 which was 76%. Moreover, this percentage was slightly decreased by 54%. Further more, the percentage of total population was drashtically fell to 19%.

In 1800, ration of population in Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and staten Island was 24%. After the decade, total population has been increased to 46% which was around 1,587,109. At last it rose significantly by 81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall pattern: New York City’s population grew substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share rose. Several figures are accurately reported, including the city totals and the 1800 and 1900 shares. However, some key information is incomplete or unclear: Manhattan’s population rose to 1,850,093 in 1900 before falling to 1,538,096 in 2000, but the response does not report the 2000 population. The other districts’ population also increased from 18,701 to 6,471,089, yet only the final percentage is given. The overview is relevant, though the account of the changes could be more precise and fully developed, especially by comparing population counts as well as percentages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, and it generally moves from the city total to Manhattan and then the other districts. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: “After that, this figure increased rapidly from 3,437,202 to 8,009,185 in 2000” does not clearly identify the year associated with the first figure. Linking expressions such as “On the other hand,” “Moreover,” and “At last” are used mechanically or do not express the relationship accurately. Improve cohesion by grouping each district’s figures chronologically and using clear references such as “by 1900” and “by 2000.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “increased rapidly,” “down trend,” “percentage,” and “rose significantly,” so the main trends are usually understandable. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “difference of population,” “number of population,” and “percentage … has been decrease.” Spelling errors, including “increaded,” “drashtically,” and “ration,” also reduce precision and make the writing less polished. Aim for standard data-reporting phrases such as “population change,” “the population stood at,” and “accounted for.” A more controlled range of accurate terms would make comparisons clearer and help avoid repeating general words such as “increased.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “which” and contrastive structures such as “Whereas, in manhattan…”. The meaning is generally recoverable, but errors in verb forms, articles, sentence boundaries and agreement are evident. For example, “the percentage … has been decrease” needs a correctly formed verb, while “in other districts's population had increased” has faulty agreement and possessive construction. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “Overall, The population…” and the fragment-like “Whereas, in manhattan…”. Use complete sentences and maintain a consistent past-tense frame when describing the historical figures. More accurate control of these patterns would make the data easier to follow.

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