Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-19
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 tables illustrate the changes in the whole population of New York City between 1800 to 2000 and also changes in five other districts of the city over the same period.
Overall, the population of New York City rose sharply over the period. Meanwhile, in the district Manhattan, it increased throughout the centuries, but the proportion of total population decreased, while the population in other four districts climbed with percentage of total population over the same period.
It is shown that in New York City, the population expands in all five districs from 79,216 in 1800 to 3,437,202 in 1900, which further increased sharply to 8,009,185 in 2000. On the other hand, the population of people in the district Manhattan was 60,515 in 1800 with 76% of total population. Although, the population increased to 1,538,096 in 2000, but proportion of total population fell sharply and reached only 19%.
Meanwhile, population in other four districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island) also rose from 18,701 in 1800 to 6,471,089 in 200o and percentage also increased to 24% to 81% over the same period.
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 successfully addresses the main features of the visual data by reporting overall population growth and comparing Manhattan with the other districts. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting the contrasting proportional trends. However, there is a minor factual inaccuracy in the first paragraph ("changes in five other districts"), as there are only five districts in total (Manhattan plus four others). Data points such as the 1800 and 2000 figures are correctly cited from the tables, and the percentage shifts are accurately identified. To reach a higher band, the overview could be more precise regarding the exact nature of the split between Manhattan and the other regions over time.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into four distinct paragraphs, following a logical progression from an introduction and overview to specific body paragraphs detailing the data. Cohesive devices such as "Overall", "Meanwhile", "It is shown that", and "On the other hand" are used to connect ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical or formulaic. Paragraphing is handled appropriately, ensuring that general trends and specific figures are separated. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional clunky phrasings like "the population of people in the district Manhattan" slightly disrupt the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, employing words and phrases such as "proportion", "rose sharply", "climbed", and "fell sharply". There are some lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as "whole population" instead of "total population" and "percentage also increased to 24% to 81%" (which incorrectly uses 'to' twice or misstates the range). Spelling is generally accurate, but word choice lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher band levels.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses introduced by "although" and "while". There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, such as "changes in the whole population... between 1800 to 2000" (should be 'between 1800 and 2000'), "the population expands in all five districs" (tense inconsistency and spelling error), and "Although, the population increased... but proportion..." (incorrect pairing of conjunctions). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but these persistent errors keep the grammar score at band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.