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 changes in the total population of New York City. While the second and third tables illustrates the changes of population in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx queens, and Staten Island over the same period.
Overall, it can be seen that New York City has a higher population. In contrast, Manhattan had the lowest number of population.
In 1800, New York City started at 79,216 number of population. Followed by Manhattan with 60,515. While other district had 18,701 number of population.
In 1900, it shows that all of the districts had a significant increase of their population. New York City had more than 2 million increase on its population. Manhattan had more than 1.7 million and other districts had more than 1.5 million increase on their population.
However, in 2000, it is evident that the population in New York City was increased by half and quarter ending at 8 million populations. Followed by other districts that had quadrupled increased on the population. In contrast, Manhattan had a slightly decrease on population and went down to 1.5 million population.
In contrast, New York City had an upward trend since 1800 until 2000. While Manhattan had an increase after 1900, however, experienced a downward with the population in 2000. Meanwhile other district showed a significant increase of population until 2000.
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, but the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. While you identify the overall upward trend for NYC, the description of the districts is confusing. You group 'Manhattan' and 'other districts' in a way that does not accurately reflect the provided tables, which list five distinct districts. Furthermore, the mathematical descriptions (e.g., 'half and quarter') are vague and inaccurate. To improve, ensure you clearly distinguish between the five districts provided in the data and use precise figures to support your comparisons rather than general statements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'In contrast' and 'Followed by'. Some transitions are logically weak; for example, the final paragraph repeats information already mentioned, creating a sense of redundancy rather than progression. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when referring to 'other districts' without specifying which ones are included in that grouping.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'number of population' (instead of just 'population'), 'slightly decrease' (should be 'slight decrease'), and 'quadrupled increased'. These errors occasionally make the text feel unnatural. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology for describing trends, such as 'experienced a decline' or 'witnessed a substantial growth', and avoid repeating the same phrases throughout the response.
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 occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('tables illustrates') and incorrect prepositional usage ('increase on its population'). There are also issues with sentence fragments, such as the second sentence of the introduction, which is not a complete sentence. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring every sentence has a clear subject and verb.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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