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 first table provide the information about the changing in the community of New York City. While the other two tables provide the information for the population variations of five districts of a city.
Overall, the residents of the New York City was highest in the year 2000 and lowest in 1800. However in Manhattan the proportion of citizens was greater in 1800 as compared to 2000, which had the smallest ratio. In contrast, to other districts it was toatlly opposite and had the increased percentage in 2000 rather than in 1800.
The New York City inhabitans proportion, that was 79,216 in 1800 rose ans came to 8,009,185 in 2000 and became the higest in between the other two years. In addition, comparing the percentage distribution among the three years in the Manhattan even though, the people ratio was the most in 2000 but, their rates was at top in 1800 like 76%.
Furthermore, in other districts the percentage rate was at peak in the same year that contain the higest public like in 2000 with 81%.
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 student covers the main features of the data, accurately noting the overall population growth of New York City from 1800 to 2000 and the demographic shift between Manhattan and the other districts. An overview is present in the second paragraph, contrasting Manhattan's declining percentage with the rise in other areas. However, some of the phrasing is confusing or contradictory (e.g., 'even though, the people ratio was the most in 2000 but, their rates was at top in 1800'). While the key trends are identified, the lack of clarity in reporting specific data points prevents a higher score. Overall, the response addresses the prompt adequately but suffers from under-developed explanations of the figures.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into four paragraphs, following a logical layout of introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Basic cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'While', 'Overall', 'In contrast', 'Furthermore'), but referencing and linking are sometimes faulty or mechanical, such as 'While the other two tables provide the information for the population variations of five districts of a city.' Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within sentences is weak, particularly in the third paragraph where ideas become convoluted. Progression is evident, but the awkward phrasing disrupts the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'proportion', 'variations', and 'distribution', but makes noticeable lexical and collocational errors throughout (e.g., 'changing in the community', 'residents of the New York City was highest', 'inhabitans proportion'). There are also recurring spelling errors, such as 'toatlly', 'inhabitans', 'higest', and 'contain'. While the range is adequate to convey the basic meaning of the tables, the frequent word-choice and spelling errors restrict the score to a 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('residents... was', 'other districts... had the increased percentage'), incorrect preposition usage ('ratio... in Manhattan'), and awkward clause structures. Punctuation is also problematic, with unnecessary commas breaking up natural phrasing. These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the response from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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