Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-31

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)

Over 200 years from 1800 to 2000 , An estimated percentage of population count in New York City is plotted in three tables. Firstly, a table for the all five districts ;Furthermore, second table for Manhattan while third for the rest districts.

overall, New York City happens to have enormous increase during each decade . Furthermore, the most occupied area at 1800 was Manhattan with 76% of the population percentage ,while that percentage gets to decrease grdually until 1900.But, it gets significant decrease at year 2000 reaching 19% percentage of the population.

in contrast, for the other districts in New York City its plotted that its population is doubled at first decade going from 24% to 46% , and also nearly doubled in the second decade reaching 81% of the population which is 6,471,089 .Its realized that people tend to move from Manhattan at the recent times ,as its population significantly decreased to 1,538,096 at the 20's.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad contrast between Manhattan and the other districts, and include relevant figures such as Manhattan’s 76% share in 1800 and the other districts’ population of 6,471,089 in 2000. However, the response only partly summarises the tables: it gives no figures for New York City’s total population, despite the first table, and does not clearly report the overall rise from 79,216 to 8,009,185. The overview also says the city increased “during each decade,” although the data show only three points across two centuries. Manhattan’s share fell to 54% in 1900 and then 19% in 2000, rather than decreasing gradually throughout. Focus on the main changes at each date and describe only trends supported by the data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an opening, an overview-like paragraph, and a final paragraph comparing Manhattan with the other districts, so there is some organisation. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the introduction’s “Firstly” and “Furthermore” do not establish a useful sequence, and the final paragraph combines percentage changes, a population figure, and an explanation about migration without clear transitions. Linking words such as “Furthermore,” “But,” and “in contrast” are sometimes mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely. References such as “that percentage” and “its population” can also be unclear. Organise the report into a concise introduction, a clear overview, and paragraphs that compare the figures by year or by district, using links only where they clarify the comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt some topic-related vocabulary, including “population,” “percentage,” “decrease,” and “reaching,” and the reader can generally identify the subject of each paragraph. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “population count … is plotted” does not accurately describe tables, “most occupied area” is not a natural way to describe the district with the largest population share, and “the population is doubled” is imprecise for a change in percentage share. There are also spelling errors such as “grdually” and “Its realized.” Use precise reporting language such as “accounted for,” “rose,” “fell,” and “population share,” and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including clauses joined with “while,” “as,” and “which.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence construction, articles, agreement, and punctuation occur frequently enough to affect clarity. For instance, “An estimated percentage of population count … is plotted” has an unclear grammatical structure, while “for the other districts … its plotted” has faulty agreement and an incomplete passive form. The sentence beginning “Its realized that people tend to move” also lacks a clear grammatical subject and uses an unsupported present-tense explanation. Commas and spaces around punctuation are inconsistent. Practise building accurate comparison sentences, for example, “Manhattan’s share fell from 76% in 1800 to 54% in 1900.”

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