Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-13
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 in New York City from 1800 to 2000, while the two tables display the changes in the number of people across five different districts over the same period.
Overall, it's clear that the population of New York City dramatically increased between 1800 and 2000, while Manhattan experienced a rapid increase over the same period. However, the share decline between 200 years. Furthermore, the population of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island registered growth between 1800 and 2000. In addition, the percentage had increase over the same years.
In 1800, the population of human registered 79,216 and Rapidly increased stood at 8,009,185 , in the end of 2000.
The population in Manhattan shows 60,515 in 1800 and at the end of 1900, it had 1,850,093. After that, it went decline accounting for 1,538,096 in 2000 although the percentage went down from 76% to 19% over the same period.
For the other four districts, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island had seen the growth between 1800 and 2000 from 18,701 to 6,471,089. In addition, the percentage was increased from 24% to 81% across the same period.
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 trends in the data, identifying the overall population growth and the shift in distribution between Manhattan and the other districts. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. The student mentions the total population and the shift in percentages but fails to provide a more nuanced comparison of the specific growth rates across the different time periods. Some data points are presented, but the interpretation of the 'share decline' is unclear and lacks precision. To improve, ensure that all key features are clearly highlighted and that comparisons are made more explicitly between the districts rather than just listing figures.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'In addition'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate, such as the phrase 'share decline between 200 years', which lacks clarity. The referencing is occasionally confusing, and the transition between the general overview and the specific data points could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the flow of ideas within the paragraphs needs to be more cohesive to reach a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher score. There are some awkward phrasings, such as 'population of human' instead of 'total population' and 'registered growth'. The student uses basic terms like 'increased' and 'went decline' repeatedly. To improve, the student should aim for more sophisticated collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing. The errors in word choice, such as 'share decline' instead of 'share declined', do not impede communication but demonstrate a limited range of vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'the percentage had increase' (should be 'had increased'), 'the population of human registered 79,216' (should be 'was 79,216'), and 'it went decline' (should be 'it declined'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with commas and spacing around numbers. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in verb tense and word form prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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