Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-04

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 first table illustrates the difference between the total number of people in New York city from 1800 to 2000. While, The second table shows the same difference but for Manhattan city with percentage of total population as well. The third table provides the same data but the average of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten island.

Overall, New York was highly populated in 2000. While, all the cities have lowest number of people in 1800 but accept Manhattan all the other districts holds most amount of people in 2000.

The population of New York city is rapidly increasing throughout the centaury in 1800 it was only 79,216, it went up to 3,437,202 in 1900 and in 2000 it was exact 8,009,185

In the coming tables, Manhattan contributed to 76% with 60,515 people towards total population while other districts contribute only 1/3 of it in 1800 But in 1900 all the districts were accounted for al most 50% towards New York's population. Although in 2000, Manhattan holds only 1,538,096 people which contributed to total population by only 19% but in other districts it is 6,471,081 which is highest throughout and it contributed to 81% towards New York's population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main time points and identify the broad trends: New York’s population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share grew. The figures for the city total and Manhattan are accurate, and you include useful comparisons across the years. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the other districts had 18,701 people in 1800, not “only 1/3” of Manhattan’s population, and their 2000 total was 6,471,089, not 6,471,081. The overview also says “all the cities” had their lowest population in 1800, which is imprecise, and does not clearly highlight that Manhattan’s population itself peaked in 1900 before declining. Select and report these comparisons more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to the total population and then the district figures. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weakened by awkward or inaccurate linking, especially repeated “While” at the start of sentences and “Although” where the contrast is not clearly completed. The second paragraph’s reference to “all the cities” is also unclear because the data concern districts. Group the figures by trend—for example, total growth first, then Manhattan’s rise and fall compared with the other districts’ continuing growth—and use linking words only where the relationship is clear. This would make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “population,” “contributed,” “percentage,” and “throughout,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing tables. “Difference” is used where you mean change, “average” misrepresents the combined figures for the other districts, and “holds most amount of people” is not a natural collocation. There are also spelling errors such as “centaury” and “al most,” alongside inconsistent capitalisation of place names. Use precise reporting verbs and nouns, such as “rose,” “accounted for,” “share,” and “combined population,” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, including clauses beginning with “While” and “Although.” However, control is uneven, and some sentence structures are incomplete or incorrectly punctuated. For example, “While, The second table shows…” is not a complete sentence, and “Although in 2000, Manhattan holds…” leaves the contrast clause awkwardly attached. There are also errors in articles, agreement, and tense, as in “the other districts holds” and “Manhattan contributed” when describing the table’s figures. Commas and full stops are often missing, particularly in the sentence reporting the city totals. Practise forming complete comparison sentences and keep the past-tense reporting consistent.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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