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 table illustrates the information related to the total number of people lived in New York region from 1800 to 2000. While the other tables depicts the comparison of different areas of the city between Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Islandin both years.
Overall, it is evident that the total number of population recorded less in the year 1800. However, in 2000 the total had increased .
To begin with, in 1800, the total population of New york was 79,216, Manhattan had the maximum people of 60,515 as percentile with 76% in same year While other districts had 18,701 as 24%.
In 1900, the New York city had 3,437,202 number of people in total by which manhattan had 54% of population stood as 1,850,096, to compare with rest districts , it shows 46% that was 1,587,109 in numbers.
In 2000, total number was increased by 8,009,185. Manhattan district decreased its population 1,538,096 (19%). others had increased by 81% it stood 6,471,089 people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features from the tables, including the total population figures for New York City and the breakdown between Manhattan and the other districts in 1800, 1900, and 2000. Key data points such as the 1800 population of 79,216 and the 2000 total of 8,009,185 are accurately cited. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, stating that the population increased over the period. However, the development is somewhat mechanical and lists data sequentially rather than synthesising all the comparative trends fully. Nevertheless, the response clearly addresses all parts of the prompt, earning a band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is structured into distinct paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs for each year. Cohesive devices are attempted (e.g., 'To begin with', 'In 1900', 'In 2000'), but some links are awkward or mechanically deployed, such as 'by which manhattan had 54%' and 'to compare with rest districts'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and paragraphing could be better managed to group trends more logically. Overall, the arrangement is coherent, but cohesion is sometimes faulty, fitting the band 5.5 to 6.0 profile well.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with appropriate terms such as 'population', 'districts', 'percentage', and 'decreased'. However, there are frequent lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'total number of people lived' instead of 'living', 'maximum people of 60,515 as percentile', and 'rest districts' instead of 'the remaining districts'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are marred by inaccuracies. The range is sufficient for the task but limited, placing it firmly at a band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is weak. There are frequent errors in verb forms, prepositions, and sentence structure, such as 'the other tables depicts' (subject-verb agreement), 'total number was increased by 8,009,185' (incorrect preposition/passive usage), and run-on structures like 'others had increased by 81% it stood 6,471,089 people'. Punctuation is also inconsistent. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to restrict the score to a band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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