Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-15
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 table below describes the total population of new york city changed from 1800 to 2000.the other two tables show the change in population of five districts of the city (Manhanttan,Brooklyn,Bronx,Queens,Staten Island) over the same time.
In very first table from 1800 to 2000 new york city have experienced high rise in population.Manhattan's percentage of total population experiened a downfall but saw a rise in population growth.Other four districts experienced high in percentage of total population moreover saw high rise in population growth.
In 1800 the population of all five districts was 79,216. In 1900 it saw high rise and reached 3,437,202.Moreover In 2000 it experienced high rise in population and reached at 8,009,185.If we talk about Manhattan,In 1800 its population was60,515and it contain 76% of total population .In 1900 its population has been increased upto 1,850,093 but saw a downfall in percentage and its percentage was 54%.In 2000 it experienced a downfall in population and also saw a fall in percentage also and percentage is 19. If we talk about other four districts their population in 1800 is 18,701 and they attributes 24% in total population.In 1900 the population increase uotp 1,587,109and percentage was also increased. In 2000 its population has experienced high rise and percentage was also increased raplidly upto 81%.
It is concluded that the new york city with all districts experienced high rise in population.In 1800 Manhattan alone experienced 76% but on the other side other four contributes only 24% of total population.With the passage of time the contribution of other four disrtricts has been increased but Manhattan contributes less of total population of new york city.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all the main parts of the task by reporting the total population figures and breaking down the information between Manhattan and the other four districts across the three provided years. Key features and comparisons are successfully highlighted, such as the shifting proportions between Manhattan and the rest of the city (e.g., Manhattan accounting for 76% in 1800 but dropping to 19% by 2000). However, the overview is somewhat embedded rather than clearly stated, and some data descriptions lean toward repetition. Nevertheless, the main trends are adequately identified, matching the Band 6 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is arranged into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by general trends and specific data points, and ending with a summary. However, the progression is occasionally hindered by repetitive transitional phrases (e.g., 'If we talk about...'). Cohesive devices are used, but they can be mechanical or overused (e.g., 'Moreover', 'In 1800...', 'In 1900...'). Paragraphing is present to structure the response, but referencing is sometimes imprecise, warranting a Band 6 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to data reporting such as 'population', 'percentage', 'downfall', and 'growth'. However, there are notable limitations and word-choice errors, including spelling mistakes ('Manhanttan', 'experiened', 'raplidly'), missing spaces between words (e.g., 'was60,515and'), and awkward collocations (e.g., 'attributes 24% in total population'). The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the message, fitting a Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb tenses and agreement (e.g., 'new york city have experienced', 'their population in 1800 is', 'the population increase uotp'), missing capitalisation for proper nouns ('new york city', 'manhattan'), and punctuation faults such as missing spaces after commas and periods. These errors occur frequently and occasionally strain the reader, though communication is generally maintained, aligning with Band 5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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