Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-17
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 below illustrate changes in the total population of New York City and its five districts, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, over the two centuries.
Overall, it can be clearly seen that the population increased over time, with the lowest population in 1800,
and the highest in 2000.
In New York City, the lowest population was in 1800, and the highest was in 2000, at about 79,000 and 8,009,185, respectively. Notably, the highest population was in the Manhattan district. In 1800, 76 percent of people were residents of Manhattan, and this percentage gradually decreased to 54 percent in 1900 and 19 percent in 2000. It witnessed a significant fall in its population.
On the other hand, only 14 percent of people were from the other four districts, at about 24 percent in 1800 , 46 percent in 1900. It rapidly grew in the year 2000, at about 81 percent of residents living here.
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 data well, reporting overall population growth and contrasting the shift between Manhattan and the other four districts. An overview is present, noting the lowest population in 1800 and the highest in 2000. However, there are minor data inaccuracies and awkward phrasing in places, such as claiming 'the highest population was in the Manhattan district' in 2000 when the combined other districts actually surpassed Manhattan significantly by that year (6,471,089 versus 1,538,096). Furthermore, the sentence starting with 'On the other hand, only 14 percent of people were from the other four districts...' contains confusing or contradictory figures ('14 percent' versus '24 percent'). Despite these minor flaws, all parts of the prompt are addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into a logical structure with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs discussing specific trends. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'Notably', and 'On the other hand'. However, paragraphing and referencing are sometimes faulty; for instance, the transition into the final paragraph is slightly confusing due to contradictory percentage figures, and referencing between Manhattan and the other districts lacks absolute clarity. Paragraphing is attempted but remains basic.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with attempts at less common items such as 'respectively', 'gradually decreased', and 'significantly'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and expression, such as 'It witnessed a significant fall in its population' when describing Manhattan's percentage share drop (though its raw population actually rose from 60,515 to 1,538,096, creating confusion between proportion and absolute numbers). Repetition of phrases like 'lowest population' and 'highest population' also limits the lexical range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'In 1800, 76 percent of people were residents of Manhattan, and this percentage gradually decreased...'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, notably the incomplete clause 'at about 24 percent in 1800 , 46 percent in 1900' and the erroneous 'only 14 percent of people were from the other four districts'. Punctuation errors, such as spacing before commas, also occur. Nevertheless, the errors do not severely impede overall communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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