Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-01

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 table illustrates changes in the total population of New York City as well as in Manhattan district and other four districts between1800 and 2000. Overall, it is clear that total population of New York City experienced drametical increased where as manhattan district recorded some flactuation and other four distrcts population grow steadily.

In 1880, Total population of New York city recodred 79,216 in which Manhattan contributed the highest 60,515 which popultion was 76%, In contrast other districts population contribution very less which was 18,701 only 24%.

Population in New York city raised to 3,437,202 where 54% accounted from manhattan district population was 1,850,093, Similarlly other districts population increased 1,58,109 about 46% in the year 1900.

In 2000, New York City total population go up to 8,009,185 where as Manhattan district shared decrased to around 19% so the total population was 1,538,096, However, Other district population surged to 6,471,089 that shared 81% population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report the main overall contrast: the city’s population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share grew. Most figures are accurate, including the 2000 totals and percentages. However, the first year is incorrectly given as “1880” rather than 1800, and the 1900 figure for the other districts is written as 1,58,109 instead of 1,587,109. The overview also says Manhattan “recorded some fluctuation,” which is unclear: its population rose by 1900 and then declined by 2000. The response is six words below the 150-word minimum, so it does not meet the task’s length requirement. Add a little more accurate comparison and clarify the trends to develop the summary more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by chronological details for the three years. This makes the information generally easy to follow, and contrasts such as “In contrast” and “However” help signal comparisons. Some connections are less clear because several figures and ideas are crowded into long sentences, particularly the 1900 and 2000 descriptions. Capitalisation is also inconsistent, and the repeated “In [year]” openings make the progression somewhat mechanical. Use separate, clearly punctuated sentences for each year and connect the figures explicitly—for example, explain how Manhattan’s share changed as the other districts’ share increased. This would make the relationships between the data easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “contributed,” “accounted,” “shared,” and “surged,” and you attempt to vary the language rather than repeat “population” throughout. However, spelling errors are noticeable, including “drametical,” “flactuation,” “distrcts,” and “recodred,” and some word choices or collocations are unclear. “Manhattan district recorded some fluctuation” does not accurately describe the figures, while “population contribution very less” is not a natural way to express the comparison. Choose precise, conventional chart language and check spelling carefully. Terms such as “rose sharply,” “declined,” “accounted for,” and “represented” would help you describe the trends more accurately and naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, using clauses with “whereas” and “which,” as well as contrastive structures. However, errors occur frequently, and some sentences are difficult to interpret. For example, “where 54% accounted from manhattan district population was 1,850,093” lacks a clear grammatical relationship between the percentage and the population figure. There are also missing articles and possessives in phrases such as “total population of New York City” and “Manhattan district population,” and punctuation is often missing where sentences run together. Practise building accurate comparison sentences, such as “Manhattan’s population was 1,850,093, accounting for 54% of the total.” Use consistent sentence boundaries and check verb forms and clause structure.

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