Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-22
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 provides data on the population of New York City from 1800 to 1900 and 2000. The other two tables show changes in number of population in Manhattan and all other four districts.
Overall, there was less population in 1800 but showed dramatic increase in 2000. Meanwhile, people in Manhattan and other districts told about changes from 1800 to 2000.
In the year 1800 overall citizen in the New York City was about 79,216. Moreover, in Manhattan there was massive population of 76% in numbers 60,515. Other four districts had only 24% population .
However, there was slight increased in residents in New York City in 1900 which was 3,437,202 and other four districts also grew to 24%. But, Manhattan fell to 54% it includes 1,850,096 people.
The population in New York City surged to 8,009,185 and the changes in other districts ( Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island) doubled to almost 81% in 2000.Only Manhattan plummeted to 19% of population 1,538,096.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features from the tables provided, including the total population changes and the shift between Manhattan and the other districts. The overview is somewhat basic ('Overall, there was less population in 1800 but showed dramatic increase in 2000'), but it successfully highlights the main trend. Key data points such as the 1800 total (79,216) and the 2000 percentages (19% for Manhattan and 81% for other districts) are correctly reported and compared. While some descriptions of the trends are slightly imprecise or repetitive, all core requirements of Academic Task 1 are met, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression from the introduction to the overview, followed by chronological body paragraphs detailing 1800, 1900, and 2000. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different sections of the report. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or awkwardly implemented, such as 'Meanwhile, people in Manhattan and other districts told about changes...' and 'Moreover, in Manhattan there was massive population...'. Referencing and logical transitions between sentences could be smoother, which places this text securely in the Band 6 descriptor range.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'population', 'districts', 'percentage', 'surged', and 'plummeted'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors throughout the text, such as 'overall citizen in the New York City', 'slight increased' instead of 'slight increase', and awkward phrasing like 'other districts told about changes'. Less common vocabulary is attempted ('surged', 'plummeted'), but control is inconsistent. These errors do not impede overall communication, fitting the criteria for Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as 'In the year 1800 overall citizen in the New York City was about 79,216' and 'The population in New York City surged to 8,009,185 and the changes in other districts... doubled to almost 81% in 2000.' There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as missing articles ('in New York City'), agreement issues ('other four districts also grew to 24%'), and incorrect verb forms ('there was slight increased'). Nevertheless, the meaning remains comprehensible, supporting a Band 5.5 or 6.0 performance.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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