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 given tables briefs us with the trends of population in new york city and how it is distributed across five districts over a periof of 2 centuries.This report will detail the trends.

Overall, In new york city there was a drastic rise of population in first century and kept rising significantly in the upcoming too. In 1800 Manhattan comprised three fourth of new york's population which later was left behind by other districts.

In the year 1900 the four districts were brimming to Manhattan but after the year 1900 the other 4 districts grew significantly leaving Manhattan behind from 76% to 19% .

In end of year 2000 the New york city is populated with 1/4 of Manhattan citizen and the rest with others.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad trends: New York City’s population increased, and Manhattan’s share fell as the other districts became more prominent. However, the report is only partial and underdeveloped. It omits the total population figures and the key comparison that Manhattan’s population rose to 1,850,093 in 1900 before declining to 1,538,096 in 2000, while the other districts continued to grow. Some statements are unclear or inaccurate: “the four districts were brimming to Manhattan” does not explain the 1900 comparison, and Manhattan was not one quarter of the city’s population in 2000; its share was 19%. The response also falls 25 words short of the required minimum. Include a fuller overview and select figures to support each main trend.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, with an introduction, an overview, and later comments on the district distribution. This gives the reader some sense of the report’s direction. However, progression is limited: the second and third paragraphs repeat the idea that the other districts overtook Manhattan without clearly organising the changes by year or comparing population and percentage figures. Linking phrases such as “In the year 1900” and “after the year 1900” are used, but the relationships they introduce are not always clear. The final sentence adds little beyond the earlier overview. Organise the body chronologically, use one paragraph for total population and another for district changes, and make references such as “the other districts” precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary, including “population,” “comprised,” “rise,” and “grew significantly,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited, and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing tables. “Brimming to Manhattan” does not convey the intended comparison, while “left behind” is informal and imprecise. “The upcoming too” and “Manhattan citizen” also make the meaning less clear. Spelling and capitalisation errors, including “periof” and repeated lowercase “new york,” further reduce control. Aim for precise reporting language and check spelling: for example, describe a share as “declined” and say that other districts “accounted for” a proportion of the total.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including “In 1800 Manhattan comprised three fourth of new york's population which later was left behind by other districts.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make relationships difficult to follow. The opening sentence has faulty structure (“The given tables briefs us with the trends”), and “kept rising significantly in the upcoming too” lacks a clear grammatical construction. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries, as in “In end of year 2000 the New york city is populated with 1/4 of Manhattan citizen.” Use complete, clearly structured sentences, maintain past tense for historical data, and check articles and singular/plural forms.

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