Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-03

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 TABELS PROVIDES KEY INFORMATIONS ABOUT THE MODIFATION IN THE POPULATION OF NEW YORK AND HER FIVE DISTRICTS MANHATTAN, BROOKLYN, BRONX, QUEENS ,STATEN ISLAND BETWEEN 1800 AND 2000

OVERALLIT IS CLEAR FROM THE TABEL THAT THE TOTAL POPULATION OF NEW YORK CITY INCREASED BY YEARS , ALSO BY THE FIRST MANHATTAN WAS CONTROLING THE MOST OF THE TOTAL POPULATION BUT IN THE END THE OTHER FOUR DISTRICTS TAKE IT OVER

ACORDING TO WHAT IS SHOWN , THE DISTRICS OF MANHATTAN IN THE YEAR 1800 WAS THE HIGHTS PART OF THE NEW YORK'S POPULATION WITH 76% AND ALSOMST A HALF IN 1900 BUT IN 2000 SHE RANGING FROM 54% TO 19% WHICH IS A HUGEDECLINED

IN TERMS OF THE OTHER FOUR DISTRICKS , THEY REGISTRED A FIGURE OF 24% IN 1800 FROM THE TOTAL POPULATION , AND THEN CLIMED TO 46% IN THE YEAR 1900, AND FINALLY HIT A HIGHT OF 81% IN 2000 , SO AS WE SEE ITS THE OPOSITE OF MANHATTAN

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall change: New York City’s population grew, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ combined share rose. The percentages you report—76%, 54%, and 19% for Manhattan, and 24%, 46%, and 81% for the other districts—match the tables. However, the overview says Manhattan “was controling the most” without clearly distinguishing its population share from its absolute population, and “the other four districts take it over” is imprecise. The response also omits the city’s total population figures and the important fact that Manhattan’s population itself rose to 1,850,093 in 1900 before falling to 1,538,096 in 2000. Including these figures and clarifying the comparisons would make the summary more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for Manhattan and the other districts. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the information, and phrases such as “in 1800,” “in 1900,” and “finally” help signal the time sequence. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “but in the end the other four districts take it over” does not specify that their combined share overtakes Manhattan’s, while “so as we see its the opposite” repeats the comparison without adding detail. The long opening sentence also makes the district list difficult to follow. Use clearer sentence boundaries and explicit references to population share to improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “total population,” “declined,” “climbed,” and “hit a high,” which helps communicate the broad trends. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, word-form, and spelling errors make the writing less precise, such as “modifation,” “hights part,” “controling,” and “registred.” Some expressions are also awkward for describing data: “she ranging from 54% to 19%” and “take it over” do not clearly express a change in population share. Aim for accurate collocations such as “accounted for,” “fell to,” and “the combined share of the other districts.” Careful proofreading of spelling and choosing precise terms for proportions would make the information easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including a contrast with “but” and a result introduced by “so.” However, control of sentence structure and verb forms is inconsistent. For example, “the districts of Manhattan … was” has subject–verb disagreement, and “in 2000 she ranging” is missing an auxiliary verb. The opening is a sentence fragment because it has no clear main verb, while the overview’s clauses are joined in a way that obscures their relationships. Punctuation is also limited, with several long sentences lacking clear boundaries. Practise forming complete sentences with accurate subjects and verbs, and use full stops to separate the overview from supporting details.

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