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 illustrate the population in Manhattan and all other four districts.
Overall, the population was less 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 New York City was about 79,216. Moreover, in Manhattan there was a massive population of 76% in numbers 60,515. Other four districts had only 24% population .
However, there was a slight increase 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 | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student addresses all parts of the task by reporting the total population figures and comparing Manhattan with the other four districts across the three given years (1800, 1900, and 2000). Key features and comparisons, such as the inversion of population distribution between Manhattan and the other districts, are successfully identified and highlighted. For example, the writer notes that Manhattan accounted for 76% of the population in 1800, which plummeted to 19% by 2000, while the other districts grew correspondingly. However, there are minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, the text states that in 1900 the other four districts 'grew to 24%', which misinterprets the 46% figure shown in the table. Despite this minor misreading, the overall response covers the key trends adequately.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a clear overall arrangement with a distinct introduction, body paragraphs, and an overview. Logical progression is attempted, moving chronologically from 1800 through 1900 to 2000. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally faulty or mechanical. Words like 'Moreover', 'However', and 'In the year 1800' are used to link ideas, but some transitions feel awkward, such as 'Meanwhile, people in Manhattan and other districts told about changes', which is unnatural. Paragraphing is present, though the body paragraphs could be structured more cleanly to separate individual years or specific district comparisons. Referencing is generally clear, but mechanical linking limits the score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic statistical concepts and trends with words like 'population', 'surged', 'plummeted', and 'slight increase'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, awkward collocations, and misuse of terms, such as 'overall citizen' instead of 'total population', 'massive population of 76% in numbers 60,515', and 'other four districts also grew to 24%' (confusing percentage share with growth). While the writer attempts less common vocabulary ('plummeted', 'surged'), the inaccuracies in word choice and expression restrict the lexical score to this level, though communication is not severely impeded.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and subordinate structures (e.g., 'The first table provides data on the population of New York City from 1800 to 1900 and 2000'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text, such as missing articles ('in Manhattan there was a massive population', 'overall citizen in New York City'), incorrect prepositions, and structural awkwardness like 'it includes 1,850,096 people' appended without a conjunction. Punctuation and sentence boundaries are occasionally misused. Although the meaning remains mostly clear, the density of errors prevents the writer from achieving a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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