Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-07-28
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 tabular chart depicts changes in the total population from 1800 to 2000 in the New York city and the population change of five different districts of city Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island between the time period. The data has been calibrated into percentage.
Overall, it is crystal clear that all five destricts have highest population in the latter year and the lowest population in the former year of the other destricts.
At the fleeting glance, City New York was having 79,216 population in the former year that is 1800. Secondly, the population was increased to 3,437,202 in the year 1900. Further, it rapidly rose to 8,009,185 in the latter year 2000.
Moving ahead, the population for Manhattan was 76%, 54%, 19% and 60,515, 1,850,093, 1,538,096 to in number for 1800, 1900 and 2000 respectively. where other destricts were 18,701 in the number and 24% in 1800.46% and 1,587,109 in numbers in 1900 and for 2000 was 6,471,089 and 8 in numbers and 81%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response attempts to address the task but fails to provide a clear or accurate summary of the data. While it mentions the total population and the districts, the presentation of the figures is highly confusing and inaccurate. For instance, the data provided for Manhattan and the other districts is presented in a jumbled manner that makes it impossible for the reader to follow the trends. The overview is also vague and does not highlight the main features or significant comparisons required by the prompt. The response lacks a clear focus on the most important trends, such as the rapid growth of specific districts over the two-century period, and instead presents raw data in a disorganized way.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into paragraphs, but the internal structure is weak. The progression of ideas is difficult to follow because the data is presented without logical grouping or clear comparisons. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moving ahead' and 'At the fleeting glance', but they are often used incorrectly or inappropriately for the context. The referencing is also unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the relationship between the percentages and the raw numbers is muddled. This makes the overall flow of the report disjointed and confusing for the reader.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is limited and often used incorrectly. There are several spelling errors, such as 'destricts' instead of 'districts'. The phrase 'At the fleeting glance' is an unnatural collocation in this context. The student struggles to describe the data accurately, leading to confusion between percentages and raw numbers. While there is an attempt to use some descriptive language, the lack of precision and the frequent errors in word choice significantly hinder the clarity of the report. A wider range of vocabulary related to trends and data comparison is needed to improve the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that impede communication. There are issues with article usage ('the New York city'), verb tense consistency, and sentence structure. For example, 'City New York was having 79,216 population' is grammatically incorrect and awkward. The final paragraph is particularly problematic, with fragmented sentences and a lack of clear subject-verb agreement. While there is an attempt to use complex structures, they are often faulty and lead to confusion. The student needs to focus on basic sentence construction and ensuring that punctuation and grammar support the meaning of the sentences.
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