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)

Here the below first table represents the total population from 1800 to 2000 in the New york city. And the secong one shows the population of Manhattan city and the third one lists the other districts Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island from 1800 to 2000.

At first we can see the population raised in all the cities as going the years from 19th century to 21th century. The population in the New york raised significantly from 79,216 in 1800 to rapidly 8,009,185 in 2000.

While the population of manhattan city has a dramatically changed in population that is raised in 1900 and fall in 2000.By coming to other districts population there is huge increase 24% in 1800, rises to 46% in 1900 and immese incease of 81%.

Finally we can conclude that the there is raised in population in every cities and other districts except the one city Manhattan where it population decreased in 2000. Overall there is high raise percentage of people from same period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the broad trends: New York City’s total population grew substantially, Manhattan’s population rose and then fell, and the other districts’ share increased. The figures for the citywide total and the district percentages are broadly accurate. However, the overview is unclear and repetitive, and some key comparisons are underdeveloped. For example, you do not give Manhattan’s population figures or explain that it fell from 1,850,093 in 1900 to 1,538,096 in 2000, while the other districts’ combined population rose to 6,471,089. Also, “population raised in all the cities” is inaccurate because Manhattan’s population declined after 1900. A clearer overview and a few precise comparisons would make the main features more fully reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable sequence: an introduction, comments on the overall and district trends, and a concluding summary. This gives it a coherent overall arrangement. However, progression is weakened by repetitive conclusions, particularly the final sentences, which restate that populations rose without adding a clear comparison. Linking phrases such as “At first,” “While,” and “Finally” are used, but some connections are awkward or unclear; for instance, “While the population of manhattan city…” does not clearly connect the two district trends. The references to the “second” and “third” tables are also confusing because the information is presented as two visuals. Group the overview separately, then compare Manhattan with the other districts in a logical order.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary, including “population,” “districts,” “increased,” and “decreased,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. Phrases such as “raised significantly,” “high raise percentage,” and “immese incease” do not express the trends naturally, while “Manhattan city” is an imprecise label. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “secong,” “New york,” and “immese.” Use standard trend language such as “grew,” “declined,” “accounted for,” and “share,” and check spelling and capitalization. More precise vocabulary would help distinguish changes in population numbers from changes in percentages.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the reader can usually identify the intended trends. However, errors in sentence construction, verb forms, articles, and punctuation are frequent enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. For example, “At first we can see the population raised in all the cities as going the years” has an unclear structure and tense, while “By coming to other districts population there is huge increase” lacks a clear grammatical subject. The final sentence, “there is raised in population in every cities,” also has problems with verb form and agreement. Practise writing direct comparisons with a clear subject and past-tense verb, and use full stops to separate complete ideas.

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