Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-18
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 below illustrate the variations in the the total population of New York city from year [redacted phone]. The second and third tables illustrate the changes toward population in five different districts Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.
Overall, It is clearly shown that Number of people in New York city significantly raised throughout the period. The population in Manhattan declined, while it increased for the other districts Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.
In New York, The total number of residents was only 76,216 in year 1800. It dramatically increased to 3,437,202 in 1900. Finally, in the year 2000 population reached 8,009,185 people.
On the other hand, In manhattan population continued to decline from 76% in 1800 to only 15% in 2000. For the other districts, the proportion of people increased for the same year as Manhattan, from only 24% in 1800 to reached 46% in the year 1900, surged sharply to 81% in 2000 for Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview and selecting key data from the tables, such as the total population growth and the shifting percentages between Manhattan and other districts. However, there are a few data inaccuracies present in the text: the starting year for the first table is misquoted as '1880' (instead of 1800), and the initial total population in 1800 is given as '76,216' instead of the correct 79,216. Additionally, the text mentions Manhattan's percentage in 2000 as '15%' while the table shows '19%'. Despite these minor discrepancies in transcription, the main features and trends are successfully highlighted and compared.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to specific datasets. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'Overall,' and 'On the other hand,' although some of the referencing and linking between clauses feels slightly mechanical or abrupt. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overall trends from the detailed figures. However, some sentences are run-on or lack smooth integration, particularly in the final sentence where multiple districts are listed awkwardly at the very end.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'significantly raised,' 'dramatically increased,' and 'surged sharply.' However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'changes toward population' instead of 'changes in population,' and several spelling and capitalization errors ('city' uncapitalized, 'manhattan'). Furthermore, the misuse of data points suggests occasional imprecision in reporting vocabulary. The range is sufficient to convey the main message, but errors prevent it from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The population in Manhattan declined, while it increased for the other districts...' Grammatical control is variable. There are several noticeable errors involving articles and prepositions, including 'in the the total population,' 'in year 1880-2000,' and 'In manhattan population.' Punctuation and capitalization errors are also present, such as missing capitalization at the beginning of sentences ('Overall, It is clearly shown...') and erratic comma usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to restrict the score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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