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 shows the total population in urban city New York between 1800 to 2000, while below two tables explain the proportion of population changes in five regions (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) during these specific years.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that the population of Manhattan has decreased with the passage of time but other regions population has significantly increased. In the year 2000, accumalated population accounted for the highest numbers. While, year 1800 was the lowest year of all time.

Initally, there was largest share of Manhattan by 76% in the year 1800 and other stood with 24%, Considering, year 1900, it shows significant decline in the ration of Manhattan as figures are 54%, remaining regions are 46%.

Lastly, in 2000, the percantage of Manhattan decrease steadily by 19%, but other areas population raise by 81% which was the largest increase in the whole period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast accurately: Manhattan’s share falls from 76% to 19%, while the other four districts’ share rises from 24% to 81%. The overview also notes that Manhattan’s population decreases over time, which is supported by its fall from 1,850,093 in 1900 to 1,538,096 in 2000. However, the response focuses almost entirely on percentages and gives little account of the city’s total population, which grew from 79,216 to over 8 million, or the absolute population figures for the districts. The statement that 2000 had the “highest numbers” is vague, and the comparison between 1800 and 1900 could be developed more clearly. Include key totals and distinguish population counts from proportions to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a chronological account of the three years. This makes the main comparison reasonably easy to follow. However, some linking is mechanical or awkward, particularly “Initally,” “Considering, year 1900,” and “Lastly,” and the sentence beginning “While, year 1800” is not smoothly connected to the preceding overview. The reference to “accumulated population” is also unclear, so the reader cannot readily tell whether it means the city’s total or a district figure. Grouping the figures into a clearer comparison—first the overall population trend, then the changing shares—would improve progression and make the relationships between ideas more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “proportion,” “share,” “decline,” and “increase,” and the intended comparisons are generally understandable. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “urban city New York,” “other regions population,” “accumulated population,” and “the largest increase” when describing a percentage share. Spelling errors such as “accumalated,” “Initally,” “ration,” and “percantage” also reduce precision. Aim for standard chart language and use terms consistently: for example, distinguish a population’s size from its percentage share. More accurate collocations would make the report sound clearer and more appropriately academic without requiring unusually advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “while” and a time clause beginning “Considering, year 1900.” Some sentences communicate the intended trend, but grammatical errors recur. For example, “between 1800 to 2000” uses the wrong preposition pattern, and “other regions population has significantly increased” has problems with possession and subject–verb agreement. In “the percantage of Manhattan decrease steadily,” the verb form does not match the past-time description. Punctuation also disrupts sentence boundaries, as in “While, year 1800 was the lowest year of all time.” Use past-tense verbs consistently, check singular and plural agreement, and form comparisons in complete, clearly punctuated sentences.

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