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 provide the information about the total population of New York City and it's five districts over a period of three centuries, from 1800 to 2000.
Overall, as the years passed, the population also increased in New york City bur in contrast the percentage is declining in ever hundred where as the other districts having a rapid rise in there percentage
In the year 1800, the total population in Manhattan was around 60,515 which shows the percentage of 76 which slowly got declined 54 percent but the count of population increased to 1,850,093. After two centuries the population and percentage declined sharply to 1,538,096 and 19 percentage.
Whereas, on other districts the population rised very significatly and percentage as follow In 1800 people were countable as 18,701 with the percentage of 24. Later In 1900 the population increased to 1,[redacted phone] with 46 percentage and In 2000 we can see a steady growth of 6,471,089 with 81 percentage.
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 the main parts of the task by reporting the overall population figures for New York City and contrasting the trends between Manhattan and the other districts. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, noting the overall increase in total population alongside the shifting percentage share of Manhattan versus other districts. However, the expression is sometimes clumsy ('ever hundred', 'the other districts having a rapid rise in there percentage'). While the main features are successfully identified, the analysis remains somewhat basic and lacks deeper comparison or integration of the raw figures. This performance aligns well with Band 6 descriptors, as all parts of the task are addressed, but some areas are underdeveloped.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is structured into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for Manhattan and the other districts. This gives the essay a coherent overall arrangement and logical progression. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In the year 1800', and 'Whereas'. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty, as seen in awkward transitions like 'Whereas, on other districts the population rised very significatly and percentage as follow'. Referencing and linking within sentences occasionally break down, placing this response firmly in the Band 6 category for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting words related to data description such as 'population', 'percentage', 'increased', 'declined', and 'sharply'. However, there are notable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'it's' instead of 'its', 'bur' instead of 'but', 'ever hundred' instead of 'every century', 'rised', and 'significatly'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to Band 5.0, as the vocabulary control shows noticeable limitations and frequent slips.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and time-clause introductions ('In the year 1800, the total population in Manhattan was around 60,515 which shows...'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions (e.g., 'on other districts', 'people were countable as'). Run-on clauses and missing punctuation also hinder readability. Because simple sentences are often error-free while complex structures contain frequent errors that require some effort from the reader to decode, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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