Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-16
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 tables demonstrates the population variation in New York and its districts from years 1800 to 2000.
The first table includes the population of entire New York City inclusive all districts. On the other hand, other two tables portrays the population of the city district wise. All the three tables displays the population trends from 1800 through 2000.
Initiating with the New York City table population, the population increased with century. The major rise in population was observed in 20th century with a count 8,009,185. While the lowest population was observed in 18th century with a record of 79,216 people.However, in the 19th century, the population increased significantly to 3,437,202 count. Manhattan population had a significant contribution of 76% in the 18th century with a major decline to 19% in the 20th century. In the 19th century, the population had a contribution of 54%. Considering the other districts' poplation, 81% population was recorded in 20th century. Contrary to it, in 18th century, a minor contribution of 24% was observed.
In conclusion, the three tables illustrates the trends of increasing and decreasing in population from 18th to 20th century in the NewYork city
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 attempts to address the prompt by summarising the tables regarding the population of New York City and its districts from 1800 to 2000. Key data points are cited, such as the total population figures (79,216 in 1800 to 8,009,185 in 2000) and the shift in Manhattan's percentage versus other districts. However, there are significant conceptual errors in time terminology, notably referring to the years 1800, 1900, and 2000 as the '18th century', '19th century', and '20th century' respectively. While all parts of the prompt are mentioned, the analysis is somewhat superficial and lacks fully integrated comparisons between the districts across all time frames. This performance fits the Band 6 descriptor where all parts are addressed, but some areas are under-developed or imprecise.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into four paragraphs, providing a basic structural framework with an introduction, body details, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the other hand', 'While', and 'Contrary to it', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or forced. Paragraphing is attempted, but the third paragraph is overly dense and clumps together distinct concepts about total population, Manhattan, and other districts into a single block. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as shifting between city totals and district percentages without smooth signposting. Logical progression is present overall, but the organization within the body paragraph needs better sorting. This aligns well with a Band 6 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms like 'variation', 'significant', 'decline', and 'contribution'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation issues, such as 'population variation in New York and its districts from years 1800' and referring to population numbers as a 'count' ('with a count 8,009,185'). Additionally, the misuse of century labels ('18th century' for the year 1800) constitutes a lexical and factual inaccuracy. While less common vocabulary is attempted, errors in word choice and phrasing prevent the response from achieving a higher band. This corresponds to a Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as introductory prepositional phrases ('Initiating with the New York City table population') and subordinate clauses ('While the lowest population was observed...'). However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including missing prepositions and articles ('inclusive all districts', 'with century', 'in NewYork city'), as well as minor punctuation issues (spacing around periods and commas). The majority of simple sentences are accurate, but attempts at complex structures occasionally introduce errors. These flaws do not seriously impede communication, supporting a Band 6 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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