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 presents the changes in the total population of New York city between 1800 and 2000. The second and third table illustrates the changes in five different districts of the city population over the same period.

Overall, after examine the tables it is concluded that first and third table shows an increase to the total population. In contrast,the second table shows decline in the percentage of total population.

Initially, the first table the population range is starts from 79,216 in 1800 and there seen increase in this range to 8,009,185 in year 2000. In third table the other districts including Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island accounted for increase in the proportion of total population from 18,701 to 6,471,089 between 1800 and 2000.

At last, In second table there seen a decline in the proportion of total population from 76% to 19% between year 1800 and 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the overall population growth and the contrasting fall in Manhattan’s share, and you include relevant figures for 1800 and 2000. However, the report is only partial: it omits the important 1900 figures, including the peak in Manhattan’s population (1,850,093) and its subsequent decline, and does not compare the districts’ shares at that point. The overview also inaccurately says the “third table” shows an increase in total population; the other districts’ population rises, while the citywide total is shown in the first table. The response is 139 words, below the required 150, which limits the opportunity to report and compare the main features. Add the missing stage and clarify what each table shows.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic report structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the city total, other districts and Manhattan. This gives the reader a general sense of the intended comparisons. However, progression is limited because the details are presented as separate, brief statements rather than being clearly compared across all three years. Some linking is mechanical or unclear: “Initially” and “At last” do not accurately signal the sequence of the data, while “In contrast,the second table” has a punctuation and spacing problem. References such as “first and third table” also make the organisation harder to follow. Group the figures by year or trend, use clear references to the populations and shares, and connect the comparisons more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “total population,” “proportion,” “decline” and “accounted for,” so the subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “the population range is starts from” and “increase in this range.” “The first and third table shows an increase to the total population” also uses wording that does not clearly describe the data. These choices make some information less precise, even though the main trend can be inferred. Use standard reporting collocations such as “the population stood at,” “rose to,” and “accounted for a larger share,” and distinguish carefully between population totals and percentages.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response uses mostly simple sentence patterns, with a few attempts at more complex structures, such as “including Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island.” However, errors are frequent and sometimes make the relationships between ideas difficult to understand. Examples include “after examine” instead of a correctly formed clause, “the first and third table shows” with subject–verb disagreement, and “the population range is starts from,” which combines incompatible verb forms. Articles and sentence construction are also problematic in “Initially, the first table the population…” Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, as in “In contrast,the” and “At last, In.” Practise accurate simple sentences first, then add subordinate clauses while checking verb forms, agreement and punctuation.

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