Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-05
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 population changes appeared in New York city follow with five major districts from year 1800 to 2000. Measurement done in percentile or numeric values.
Overall, most population of the New York city prefer to live in Manhattan district in first two century of the given period. A drastic change observed in 21st century where major portion of the people moved to (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island) districts in comparison of of older time period 1800 or 1900 years.
Initially, major portion of community prefer to live in Manhattan district with the percentage of 76 and count going to 60,515 on the other side, it was only 18,701 (24%) of total people. A very significant increase happened over the century in the year 1900 people started moving to another districts of New York city over the time which shown 54 percentile ([redacted phone]) in Manhattan and 46 percent ([redacted phone]) in other cities and part of total [redacted phone] of New York city.
In recent century 2000, total population of New York city is [redacted phone] in which 81 percent start living in other districts with a significant change in comparison of past centuries 1800 or 1900. Only 19 percent of total population is living in Manhattan in recent years appearing
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the data, such as the shift in population distribution from Manhattan to the other districts. However, the analysis is hampered by significant inaccuracies in interpreting the data. For example, you state that in 1900, Manhattan had 54% of the population, whereas the table shows 54% for the 'other districts' and 46% for Manhattan. Furthermore, the description of the 2000 data is incomplete, as the sentence ends abruptly. While you identify the main trend, the misinterpretation of figures and the lack of a complete conclusion prevent a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes mechanical. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally awkward, such as 'on the other side' used to contrast figures rather than to introduce a new point. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the abrupt ending of the final paragraph significantly disrupts the flow and coherence of the response. To improve, ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that transitions between sentences are more natural.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'population changes appeared' instead of 'population changes are shown' and 'measurement done in percentile' instead of 'measured in percentages'. You also use 'other cities' to refer to the districts, which is inaccurate. The vocabulary is generally repetitive, and the errors in word choice occasionally make the meaning slightly unclear. Expanding your range of reporting verbs and using more precise terminology for statistical data would improve your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('most population... prefer'), incorrect preposition usage ('in comparison of of older time period'), and awkward phrasing ('count going to 60,515'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, and the final sentence is a fragment. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors is high, which impacts the overall quality of the writing. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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