Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-11
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 tabular representation depicts changes in the whole population of New York from the period 1800 to 2000. The second and third table provide information about the changes in population of five districts, namely, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island during the same period.
According to the first table, the population of New York has significantly increased during the period 1800 to 2000. In 1800, the population was 79,216 which then drastically rosed to 3,437,202 in 1900. It reached to its maximum point during 2000, at 8,009,185. In case of Manhattan, the proportion of whole population was 76%, 54% and 19% during the year 1800, 1900 and 2000, respectively.
Further, the population in other district are 18,701 in 1800 which is around 24% of total population. In 1900, the population was 1,587,109 which covers 46% of total population. In 2000, the largest portion was covered with the population of 6,471,089.
Overall, New York has largest population during the year 2000. Whereas, other districts including Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island cover the highest portion of whole population.
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 proportions between Manhattan and the other districts. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, the grouping of 'other districts' is a bit vague, and the comparison between the districts could be more precise. While the key trends are identified, the report lacks a deeper synthesis of the data provided in the tables. The overview is present but could be more clearly integrated to highlight the most significant trends, such as the dramatic shift in population distribution from Manhattan to the outer boroughs over the two centuries.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief summary. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'According to,' 'Further,' and 'Overall,' which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and the referencing of the data could be smoother. For example, the transition between the first and second body paragraph is slightly abrupt. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be improved to better connect the specific figures to the broader trends being discussed.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'tabular representation,' 'drastically,' and 'proportion' used correctly. However, there are some inaccuracies and repetitive phrasing. For example, 'drastically rosed' is incorrect (the past tense of 'rise' is 'rose,' and 'drastically' is an adverb, but 'rose' is an intransitive verb that doesn't take an object in this way). The phrase 'largest portion was covered with' is also slightly unnatural. Expanding the range of vocabulary to describe trends—such as 'surged,' 'plummeted,' or 'accounted for'—would improve the score.
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 'drastically rosed' (incorrect verb form), 'population in other district are' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'largest population during the year 2000' (missing article). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band score. The use of punctuation is generally acceptable, but the control over complex sentence structures needs to be more consistent to ensure accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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