Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-28
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 given tables illustrate the total population of New York city and the changing occurred in five different districts of the city between 1800 to 2000.
Overall, the Manhattan was only district where large amount of people accommodate through out the period and the Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island had less populated in first two centuries while, in last century these four districts had high percentage of citizens as compare to Manhattan. The total population increased in every century.
To begin, The total population of New York city in 1800 was 79,216 in which Manhattan district had high number of people 60,515 almost 76 percent and the other districts had remaining 18,701 people accommodation. In 1900 the total population of New York reached to 3437,202 and the Manhattan district had still high ratio of citizen as compare to other districts 54 percent people liked to lived in this district and remaining 46 percent accommodate in other four districts which exactly calculated 46 percent. In last year the Manhattan lose there popularity in accommodation 19 percent people chose this district other 81 percent selected the other four district for living and the total population reached to 8,009,185.
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 total population growth and the shift in distribution between Manhattan and the other four districts. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, the description of the 1900 data is slightly confusing, and the final paragraph lacks a clear summary of the trends for the individual districts other than Manhattan. While the key information is present, the reporting of figures is occasionally imprecise, and the comparison between the districts could be more clearly structured to highlight the significant shift from Manhattan-centric population to the other boroughs.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph. While there is a logical progression, the cohesion is often mechanical. Phrases like 'To begin' are used, but the internal flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is limited, and some transitions are awkward, such as the shift between the 1900 data and the final period. Paragraphing is present, but the body paragraph is quite dense and would benefit from being split to separate the different time periods or thematic comparisons more effectively.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'changing occurred' instead of 'changes that occurred', 'accommodate' used incorrectly as a noun or verb, and 'lose there popularity' (should be 'lost their'). The range is limited to basic descriptors, and the student struggles with collocations related to population statistics. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using more precise academic vocabulary related to trends and data reporting.
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. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('Manhattan was only district'), incorrect verb forms ('had less populated'), and missing articles ('in last year'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. More attention to proofreading for tense consistency and article usage is required.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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