Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-07
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 illustrates the total population of new york city from year 1800 to 2000. It provides the data of all five districts of new york city that icreased with the passage of time. While the second table provide information about manhattan district population. The last but not the least table illustrates The population of other districts like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island from year 1800 to 2000.
According to the first table, in Year 1800 the population in new york was 79, 216 approximately. Till Year 1900 the population in new york gradually increased to 3,437,202 approximately. By year 2000 the population rises upto 6 times that was 8,009,185 approximately.
Now Acoording to the second table it illustrates the population only of the district Manhattan and the a certain population percentage of total population's percantage. In year 1800 the population was 60,515 aprroximately which has grew the total pouplation percnatage to 76%. Till Year 1900 the population was 1,850,093 approximately that accounted of total percenatage of population to 54%. By Year 2000the population lower than year 1900 that is 1,538,096 approximately and the percentages accounted of 19% of total population. While according to last tabe it says that in year 1800 all four disticts has population of 18,701 that is 24% of the total population's percentage. till year 1900 it increased to 1,58109 that represents the 46% of total population,s percentage. by year 2000, the population increased to 6,471,089 that has accounted for the largest share in total population's percentage that is 81%.
Overall, it is clear from the given data that Manhattan district has taken most of the total population percentage in year 1800 . While the other four districts take the total population percantage till year 2000
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all parts of the task by summarizing the total population and the trends for the five districts. However, the presentation of data is somewhat mechanical, relying heavily on listing figures rather than synthesizing the information. While the main features are identified, the comparison between Manhattan and the other districts could be more analytical. The overview is present but lacks a clear, concise summary of the most significant trends, such as the shift in population dominance from Manhattan to the other four districts over the two-century period. The response is accurate in its reporting of the provided data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and occasionally awkward, such as 'The last but not the least table' and 'Now Acoording to'. The progression of ideas is logical, moving from the total population to specific district breakdowns. Referencing is generally clear, though the transition between the second and third tables could be smoother. The paragraphing is functional, but the internal flow within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by the repetitive sentence structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are frequent spelling errors, such as 'icreased', 'Acoording', 'aprroximately', 'pouplation', 'percnatage', and 'tabe'. The range of vocabulary is limited to basic descriptive terms like 'increased', 'illustrated', and 'accounted for'. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more varied synonyms and precise terminology related to data description, such as 'surged', 'declined', 'constituted', or 'proportion', and pay closer attention to spelling accuracy.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include incorrect article usage ('the population of other districts'), subject-verb agreement ('all four disticts has'), and awkward phrasing ('the percentages accounted of 19%'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the placement of commas and capitalization of proper nouns like 'new york'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader and indicate a lack of control over complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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