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)
These tables provides data about the number of citizens of New York City and compares the population of manhatten with that of other districts as a whole between 1800 and 2000.
Overall, the population of New york had an upward trend. The contribution of Manhatten to the total population seem to decrease gradually over the period. Whereas the percentage of other districts went up significantly with the rise of their population.
In total, the number of new yorkers rose steeply from 79216 to about 8 million in two decades. That is due to the big increase of population in Brooklyn, bronx, queens and staten island from 60515 in 1800 to about 1.5 million in 2000. However, the quantity of citizens in Manhatten fluctuated reaching a peak of [redacted phone] person in 1900.
The biggest percentage of total population of new york in 1800 was 76% in Manhatten comared to only 24% for all other districts combined. Yet the proportion of manhatten kept falling until it reached the low percentage of 19% because the other 81% of opopulation live in either brooklyin, bronx, queenq or staten island.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers the main features of the tables, outlining the overall upward trend in New York City's population and contrasting Manhattan with the other districts over the two-century span. However, there are notable factual and mathematical errors in the data reporting. For instance, the student states that the population rose 'in two decades' instead of two centuries, and incorrectly claims that the population of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island in 1800 was 60,515 (that figure actually belongs to Manhattan), misreading the table data. Furthermore, '8 million in two decades' is inaccurate. Despite these inaccuracies, an overview and comparisons are present. Because of the noticeable data misinterpretations, this performance aligns with Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into four paragraphs, including a brief introduction, an overall summary, and body paragraphs dealing with population totals and percentages. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'Whereas', 'In total', and 'However'. However, paragraphing is somewhat basic and progression is occasionally hindered by imprecise referencing and unclear data mapping. For example, transitioning between the total population and district breakdowns feels slightly abrupt. Overall organisation is coherent enough to follow, but cohesion can be mechanical and faulty in places. This corresponds to a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'upward trend', 'proportion', 'fluctuated', and 'percentage'. However, there are numerous vocabulary and spelling errors, such as capitalization failures ('manhatten', 'new york', 'brooklyin', 'queenq'), incorrect word forms ('person' instead of 'people'), and informal phrasing ('big increase'). The range is sufficient to communicate basic trends, but lexical control is limited by frequent slips and spelling mistakes. This fits the Band 5.5 descriptor well.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and subordinate structures like 'Whereas the percentage of other districts went up significantly with the rise of their population.' However, grammatical accuracy is hampered by missing articles, punctuation errors, and subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'These tables provides', 'population... seem to'). Furthermore, sentence structures occasionally become convoluted or lose clarity due to grammatical slips. Errors are frequent but do not completely impede overall communication, placing this response at a Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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