Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-10

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 shoes changes in the population of New York City as a whole and compare the population of manhattan with the other four districts between 1800 and 2000.

Overall, the population of New York City increased dramatically during the period. While manhattan was the most populated area in 1800 and 1900, its population and share of the city's total population declned by 20000. In contrast, the other district experienced substantial growth.

In 1800, New York City had a total population of 79,216, of which 60,515(76%) lived in manhattan. The remaining four district contained only 18,701 people, representing 24% of the total. BY 1900, the city's population had risen sharply to 3,437,202. Manhattan accounted for 1,850,093 people (54%) , while other districts had 1,587,109(46%).

By 2000, the total population has reached 8,009,185. Manhattan's population feel to 1,538,096 only 19% of the total, whereas the other districts increased to 6,471,089(81%).

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main trends and provides relevant data points to support the summary. However, it fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the score. While the overview is clear and the key features are identified, the under-length nature of the response means the task is not fully developed. Additionally, there is a factual error in the second paragraph where '20000' is written instead of '2000', which misrepresents the data provided in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the general city-wide trend to specific comparisons between Manhattan and the other districts. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'While', and 'whereas' are used effectively to link ideas. However, the paragraphing is slightly unbalanced, and the mechanical nature of some transitions prevents a higher score. Referencing is generally clear, though the minor errors in data presentation slightly disrupt the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with terms like 'dramatically', 'substantial growth', and 'accounted for' used appropriately. However, there are several spelling and typographical errors, such as 'shoes' instead of 'shows', 'declned' instead of 'declined', and 'manhattan' (which should be capitalized). These errors are noticeable but do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, the student should demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary and ensure consistent accuracy in spelling and capitalization.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the other district experienced' (should be plural 'districts'), 'total population has reached' (should be past tense 'had reached'), and 'Manhattan's population feel' (should be 'fell'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the intended meaning. The punctuation is generally acceptable, though the inconsistent capitalization of proper nouns like 'manhattan' and 'district' detracts from the overall accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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