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 given table illustrates the changes in the total population of New York City between 1800 to 2000 and the other two tables present the changes in the population of the five districts of the city namely Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island during the same period time period of time.
Overall, it is clear that the population of New york city increased drastically over the period of time and stood highest in 2000 following others districts also experienced the largest proportion of population in 2000. While Manhattan showed the largest number of population in 1800 and then its figure had declined gradually.
In 1800, New York City accounted for the smallest number of population 8,009,185 60,515 ,followed by Manhattan which was 60,515 or 76% and others districts was 18,701 or 24%. However, the number of population of New York and other districts had risen into 3,437,202 and 1,587,109 or 46% by 1900 respectively.
In 2000, the population of New York City accounted for 8,009,185 followed by other districts which had increased to 6,471,089 or 81% and population of Manhattan accounted for 1,538,096 or 19%.
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 all parts of the prompt by presenting the data for the total population and the five districts across the years 1800, 1900, and 2000. An overview is provided, noting the overall increase in New York City's population and the shift from Manhattan to the other districts. However, there are some noticeable data confusion errors in the body paragraphs; for example, the student writes, 'In 1800, New York City accounted for the smallest number of population 8,009,185 60,515', which improperly mixes up figures from different years. Despite these lapses in data reporting and the lack of a more comprehensive comparison of individual districts, the main features are successfully identified and outlined, meeting the criteria for Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into a logical structure with an introduction, an overview, and distinct body paragraphs corresponding to different time periods. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'While', and 'However' are used to guide the reader through the data. However, referencing and paragraph cohesion are sometimes faulty, particularly in the third paragraph where numbers are awkwardly concatenated. Paragraphing is present and broadly appropriate, though the progression could be smoother and more clearly linked to avoid confusion. This level of organisation aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'illustrates', 'proportion', 'population', and 'gradually'. There are some attempts at less common phrasing, but inaccuracies occur, such as 'the other districts also experienced the largest proportion of population' and redundant phrasing like 'period time period of time'. Spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable ('New york city', 'others districts'), but they do not impede overall communication. The lexical control displayed fits the requirements for Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and subordinate structures ('The given table illustrates...', 'While Manhattan showed...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'largest number of population', 'the number of population... had risen into 3,437,202', and tense inconsistencies. Punctuation is occasionally neglected, and run-on numbers appear in the third paragraph. While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they are frequent enough to restrict the score to Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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