Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-09
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 table provide information on population changes in New York City as a whole and also illustrate the changes in five different districts specially between 1800 to 2000.
Overall, the population in New York City has increased dramatically over the whole period. While in Manhattan was a dominant district in 1800 and declined through the region since 2000. On the other hand other districts have very low population in 1800 and it tend to increased in 2000 about 81%.
In 1800, the population of New York City was 79,216 and rose to 3,437,202 in 1900, however ,in 2000 it sharply increased to 8,009,185.Morever, Manhattan shows the population in 1800 was 76% and it declined to 54% in 1900 and continued falling about 19% in 2000.
However, in other districts like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. In 1800, its population was about 24% in 1800 and slightly climbed to 46% in 1900 and finally in 2000 it was about 81% of total population.
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 covers the main features of the data, including the overall population growth and the shifting proportions of the five districts. However, the analysis is somewhat hampered by inaccuracies in data interpretation. For instance, stating that Manhattan 'declined through the region' is vague, and the claim that other districts 'tend to increased in 2000 about 81%' is confusingly phrased. While the key trends are identified, the lack of precision in reporting the data points and the slight over-generalization in the summary limit the effectiveness of the response. To improve, ensure that comparisons are clearly linked to the specific years provided in the tables.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'While', 'On the other hand', and 'However'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly misused, such as starting a sentence with 'However' when no contrast is present, or the awkward transition 'Morever, Manhattan shows...'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when referring to the group of four districts as 'its population', which creates ambiguity. The logical progression is present but could be smoother with more varied linking phrases.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for higher bands. There is some repetition of basic verbs like 'increased' and 'declined'. Some word choices are imprecise, such as 'specially' instead of 'specifically' and 'dominant district' which is used without clear context. The phrase 'it tend to increased' contains a collocation error. While the student attempts to use some data-related terminology, the range is limited, and the errors in word form and choice occasionally distract the reader, though they do not prevent the overall meaning from being understood.
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 affect the flow. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The table provide', 'it tend to increased'), incorrect verb tenses, and punctuation errors (e.g., 'however ,in'). The sentence structure is often repetitive, and some sentences are fragmented or lack proper grammatical cohesion, such as 'While in Manhattan was a dominant district...'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the response from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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