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 data in the tables provide a clear picture of population changes from the year 1800 to 2000. Three tables have been given, and data in each of the following table will be explained separately.

The first table represents the changes in the total population of New York City, including all of its districts. In the year 1800, the population was 79,216 that had increased to 3,437,202 in the year 1900 and in the year 2000, the data shows that population had been doubled to 8,009,185.

The second table represents the figures showing percentage of total population. In 1800, the increase was 76% while in 1900, there was an increase of 54% of total population but interstingly there is a decline in population in 2000, as compared to the previous year trends.

Finally in the last table increasing trend of population of other districts like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten island has been represented. In the year 1800, the population is 18,701 and in 1900, it increased to 1,587,109 which is 46% increase as percentage of total population and in the following year the increase was huge that is 81%.

Finally it shows that all these tables represent an increase in the total populations over the years time span.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You report several key figures accurately, including the city’s populations in 1800 and 1900 and the other districts’ 1800 and 1900 figures. However, the response only partly summarises the tables: it gives little detail about Manhattan’s population, and the overview does not clearly identify the main contrast between Manhattan’s declining share and the other districts’ growing share. There are also important inaccuracies. The city population in 2000 was not “doubled” from 1900; it rose to more than twice that figure. The 76% and 54% figures are shares of the total, not increases, and the other districts’ 81% is their 2000 share, not an increase. State the main trends clearly and distinguish population totals from percentages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from the city total to Manhattan’s share and then to the other districts. This makes the information reasonably easy to locate. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical: phrases such as “The first table,” “The second table,” and “Finally” organise the response by table rather than by the most important comparisons. Some links are unclear, particularly “the increase was 76%” and “in the following year,” which do not make the relationship between the figures precise. The final sentence repeats the general idea of growth without adding a useful comparison. Grouping the figures around the contrasting trends, and using clearer references to 1800, 1900 and 2000, would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the general subject, including “total population,” “districts,” “percentage,” and “decline.” However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or repetitive. “Increase” is used for percentages that represent shares, while “the data shows that population had been doubled” is an imprecise way to describe the change. Repeated phrases such as “the year” and “represents” also make the report sound formulaic. There are spelling and form issues, including “interstingly” and “island” in “Staten island.” Choose precise terms for totals, proportions and trends, and vary reporting verbs where appropriate. These improvements would make the comparisons clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple statements and some longer sentences, and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, control becomes less reliable in the longer constructions. For example, “the population was 79,216 that had increased to 3,437,202” uses an unclear relative clause, and “in the following year the increase was huge that is 81%” joins ideas awkwardly. There are also problems with articles and sentence structure in “in the last table increasing trend of population … has been represented.” Tense and number choices are not always consistent, as in “the population is 18,701” within a description of past years. Use direct, complete sentences and check that each clause has a clear subject and verb.

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