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 prior tabular chart depicts the changes of total population in New York City from year 1800 to 2000;however, the next charts illustrates the changes in Manthattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island in the given years.

In an overview, the population of New York City was more in comparison of prior years.While,The Manthattan city population was decreasing with passage of time to that of other cities.

In the case of New York City population, there was difference of [redacted phone] between the years of 1800 and 1900 with the ratio of 79216 and [redacted phone] respectively. However, in 2000 the population was [redacted phone] among all five districts.

Shifting attention to solo Manhattan district, more than three quarter of percentage was witnessed in first year with amount of 60,515 in population, which was only about two fifth in 2000 with ratio of [redacted phone].

Moving to other district percentage,it was a quarter ,more than two fifth (46%) and four fifth in 1800, 1900 and 2000 orderly, it showed upward trend with every year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main broad trends: New York City’s total population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share declined and the other districts’ share increased. You also include relevant figures for 1800 and 2000. However, coverage is partial and some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate. The overview says Manhattan’s population was “decreasing with passage of time,” but it first rose from 60,515 in 1800 to 1,850,093 in 1900 before falling to 1,538,096 in 2000. The 1900 share of 54% is omitted, and “only about two fifth” in 2000 confuses Manhattan’s population share (19%) with its population count. State the key turning point and report the figures and percentages precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable sequence: an introduction, an overview, then details about the total population, Manhattan and the other districts. Phrases such as “In an overview” and “Shifting attention” signal these stages. However, progression is not consistently clear because the overview is vague and the body moves between population counts and percentages without clearly distinguishing them. The final sentence compresses three years into one comparison, making the figures harder to follow. Some linking words are also used awkwardly, such as “However” where no contrast is established. Organise the details by year or by category, and use separate, clearly referenced sentences to compare counts with shares.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “population,” “percentage,” “upward trend” and “district,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural or imprecise: “population was more in comparison of prior years,” “solo Manhattan district,” and “in 1800, 1900 and 2000 orderly.” “Other cities” is also inaccurate because the comparison is with districts, not separate cities. Spelling errors such as “Manthattan” further reduce precision. Prefer standard data-reporting language, for example, “the population increased,” “Manhattan’s share,” and “respectively,” and check the spelling of place names.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast introduced by “however” and a time comparison using “with passage of time.” However, control is uneven, and errors in sentence construction, agreement and punctuation sometimes make relationships difficult to follow. For example, “the next charts illustrates” has a plural subject with a singular verb, while “While,The Manthattan city population…” is not a complete, correctly punctuated sentence. The opening sentence also joins clauses with a semicolon without appropriate spacing, and several sentences lack spaces after punctuation. Practise forming complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check agreement, clause boundaries and punctuation during revision.

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