Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-03
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 tables depict the change in population of New York City and five of its districts namely Manhattan,Brooklyn,Queens,Staten Island, from 1800 to 2000.
Overall , the trend that is common across all the tables is population has increased in each decade . Manhattan saw a steep decline in the percentage of total population of New York City residing there .
The population of New York City was a mere 79,216 in year 1800 which grew to a staggering number of 3,437,202 people in the year 1900 and the growth continued over the years reaching a total population of 8,009,185 in the year 2000.
Thereafter if we talk about Manhattan specifically , they district itself contributed to 76% of the total population of New York City but gradually it lost its share from 76% to 54% in year 1900 and then a mere of only 19% in the year 2000 .
However , the other four districts of New York City saw a huge rise in the population from 18,701 in the year 1800 to 6,471,089 in the year 2000 and also the percentage of the overall population residing there increased every decade from 24% IN 1800 to 81% in the year 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 trends effectively, identifying the overall population growth and the shifting distribution between Manhattan and the other districts. You have selected key data points to support these observations. However, the task requires reporting on all five districts. You mentioned Manhattan and 'the other four', but failed to provide specific data or trends for Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island individually. This omission means the response does not fully address all parts of the task. To improve, ensure you provide a brief comparison of the individual districts rather than grouping them entirely, as this would provide a more comprehensive summary of the provided tables.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'thereafter', 'however', and 'overall' to guide the reader. However, the paragraphing is slightly disjointed, and the use of punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas and periods (e.g., 'Overall ,', 'Brooklyn,Queens'). Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring standard punctuation would enhance the readability. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the transition between the general population data and the specific district breakdown could be smoother to better link the two sets of information.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'staggering', 'gradually', and 'contributed to'. There are some minor errors in word choice and phrasing, such as 'a mere of only 19%' and 'they district itself', which slightly detract from the precision of your writing. While you successfully convey the meaning, the vocabulary remains somewhat repetitive. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' and ensure that collocations are used accurately. The spelling is generally accurate, but attention to detail regarding word forms is needed.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are several grammatical errors, including missing articles ('in year 1800'), incorrect pronoun usage ('they district'), and inconsistent capitalization ('IN 1800'). Additionally, the punctuation is frequently flawed, with spaces appearing before commas and periods. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve your score in this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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