Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-04
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)
Task-1
The given tables depicts the changes in New York city population Comparing with five districts of the city over the years 1800 to 2000.
Overall, the population of New York City and all other districts has increased rapidly. In the year 1800, population of other districts were only 24% except the Manhattan, which was 76% making it 4 times more than other districts.
While in year 1900, the New York city population rapidaly jumped whereas, Manhattan was at 54% leaving other districts at 46%. However, the year 2000, have seen sudden rise in population among New York City and other districts. New York population raise 5 times more than previous year where other districts reached at 81%. Perhaps, as Manhattan populations declined to 19% from 54%. sudden
It is evident that New York and other districts have seen major increase in population where Manhattan seen a significant drop after 1900.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the data, including the overall population growth and the shift in the proportion of residents living in Manhattan versus the other districts. However, the analysis is somewhat hampered by inaccurate reporting of the data. For instance, stating that the population 'raise 5 times more' is unclear and mathematically inconsistent with the provided table. Additionally, the description of the 1800 data is slightly confusing. While the main trends are identified, the lack of precision in reporting the figures prevents the response from reaching a higher band. The overview is present but could be more clearly synthesised.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'While in year 1900' and 'However, the year 2000, have seen' are used to link ideas, but the logical flow between sentences is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when discussing the 'other districts' versus Manhattan. Paragraphing is present, but the internal progression of ideas within the paragraphs lacks the sophistication required for a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as 'rapidaly' (spelling), 'raise' instead of 'rose', and the misuse of 'sudden' at the end of the third paragraph. The student relies on basic descriptors like 'increased rapidly' and 'major increase'. To improve, the student should incorporate more varied synonyms for growth and decline and ensure that collocations are used correctly. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the general meaning but does not demonstrate the flexibility needed for a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The given tables depicts', 'population of other districts were'), incorrect verb tenses ('have seen'), and awkward sentence construction ('Manhattan populations declined to 19% from 54%. sudden'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors limits the score. The student needs to focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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