Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-11

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 primary table provides data on the population changes in new york city over a period of 2 decades, from 1800s to 2000s. The following tables illustrates the population change in 5 cities-(manhattan, brooklyn, bronx, queens, staten island) over the same period as well.

Overall, the population saw a tremendous increase, about 100 times of its start. Manhattan contributed a significant chunk back in the days but declined significantly till the 2000s. Moreover, the other 5 districts saw a huge increase in their share of total contribution in the population.

Initially, new york city only housed a little less than 80000 people in 1800s, while the major contributing district was manhattan contributing at 76% of total population, conversely the other 5 districts stood at 24%. The city saw a dramatic rise in the 1900s when the data showed a growth of more than 10 times for new york city in population.

Neverthele

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to address the task but is incomplete. It provides an overview and begins to describe the data for 1800 and 1900, but it cuts off abruptly at 'Neverthele', failing to cover the 2000 data or provide a full summary of the trends. While the initial overview identifies the main trend of population growth and the shift in Manhattan's share, the lack of completion means the task is not fully addressed. The data interpretation is generally accurate, but the failure to finish the report significantly limits the coverage of the provided tables.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Moreover', and 'conversely'. However, the abrupt ending disrupts the logical flow and progression of the response. The referencing is generally clear, but the mechanical nature of the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs suggests a need for more sophisticated linking. Because the text is incomplete, the overall coherence is severely impacted.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with phrases like 'tremendous increase', 'significant chunk', and 'dramatic rise' effectively describing the trends. There are some minor issues with capitalization (e.g., 'new york city', 'manhattan') and a slight inaccuracy in the introduction where the student refers to '2 decades' instead of two centuries. While the range is sufficient to convey the main points, the limited length and the abrupt ending prevent the demonstration of a wider or more sophisticated lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as the misuse of '1800s to 2000s' (which implies decades rather than centuries) and inconsistent punctuation, such as the hyphen in 'cities-(manhattan'. Additionally, the subject-verb agreement in 'The following tables illustrates' is incorrect. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to suggest a lack of control over more complex structures. The incomplete sentence at the end further detracts from the overall accuracy.

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