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 the 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.
Furthermore, the population contribution stayed the same with manhattan leading the race with 54% and other districts at 46% in 1900s. Events took a major toll when the population contribution shifted grounds, with the other states now contributing at 81% whereas manhattan stood at just a mere contribution of 19%.
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 and provides relevant data points. However, there are significant inaccuracies in the interpretation of the data. You state the period is '2 decades' when it is actually 200 years (1800–2000). Additionally, you refer to the five boroughs as 'cities' and 'states', which is factually incorrect in the context of New York City. While you identify the shift in population distribution between Manhattan and the other districts, the lack of precision regarding the timeframe and the mislabeling of geographical entities prevent a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on different time periods. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Initially', and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally hindered by the inaccurate terminology mentioned above. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the flow between the overview and the specific data points could be smoother to better highlight the comparative nature of the task.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are issues with precision and terminology. Using 'cities' and 'states' to describe the boroughs of New York is a lexical error that impacts the accuracy of the report. Phrases like 'contributed a significant chunk' and 'shifted grounds' are somewhat informal for an Academic Task 1 report. While you demonstrate an ability to use percentages and comparative language, the lack of academic register and the misuse of geographical terms limit the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as the inconsistent capitalization of proper nouns ('new york city', 'manhattan', 'brooklyn') and the incorrect use of '1800s' to refer to the year 1800. The phrase 'the other states now contributing' is grammatically problematic as it misidentifies the entities. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to suggest a lack of control over complex structures and punctuation.
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