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 illustrates shows changes in total population of new york city from 1800 to 2000. The second and third tables display changes in the population of five district of the city (Manhattan, Brookyln, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island ) over the same time.
Overall, the first of all the new york city, in the 1800, the number of population are 79216. In 1900 the population will be increased up the population will be [redacted phone]. In the year of 2000, the population will higher than other year and the population is [redacted phone].
The other two tables provide information about the population of Manhattan and other districts of new york in 1800, 1900 and 2000, including their respective percentages of the total population. In 1800 the Manhattan had a population of 60515, accounting for 76% of the total population, while the other district had only 18701, representing 24%. By 1900, Manhattan population had increased dramatically to [redacted phone], although its share of the total population fell to 54%. In comparison, the population of districts rose to [redacted phone], with their proportion increasing to 46%.
By 2000, the population of Manhattan had decreased to [redacted phone], and its shared had fallen further to just 19%. In contrast, the population of other distract rose to [redacted phone], with their proportion increasing to 46%.
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 candidate addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the population tables and making relevant comparisons between Manhattan and the other districts across the specified years (1800, 1900, and 2000). Key statistics, such as the initial and final populations and percentage shares, are accurately cited from the visual data. However, there is a minor error in the final paragraph where the population of the other districts is incorrectly repeated as 1,587,109 (the 1900 figure) instead of the correct 2000 figure of 6,471,089. Despite this oversight, the overview is clear and the overall response adequately covers the required data points, earning a solid Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into a logical structure with a clear introduction, overview paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to specific time periods and regions. Cohesive devices such as 'while', 'although', 'in comparison', and 'in contrast' are used to connect ideas and establish contrasts between Manhattan and the other districts. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different parts of the analysis. However, referencing and progression in the second paragraph are slightly clumsy and repetitive (e.g., 'the first of all the new york city...'). Overall cohesion is functional rather than sophisticated, placing it firmly at a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, incorporating terms such as 'illustrates', 'proportion', 'percentage', and 'dramatically'. Less common lexical items are attempted, though with some lack of precision and occasional word-choice errors, such as 'shared' instead of 'share' and 'distract' instead of 'districts'. Spelling and morphological slips occur (e.g., 'Brookyln', lowercase 'new york'), but they generally do not impede communication. The lexical range is sufficient for the task requirements, matching the descriptors for Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and comparative structures. There are, however, frequent grammatical errors, particularly concerning tense usage and verb forms (e.g., 'illustrates shows', 'the population will be increased', 'the Manhattan had'), subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the number of population are'), and missing articles. While some complex sentences are constructed successfully, the accumulation of basic errors reduces overall accuracy. Punctuation and capitalization are also inconsistent. These issues align well with the Band 5.5 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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