Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-23
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 three tables illustrate the variations in total number of inhabitant in all districts of New York (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island) over the given period of three decades. The second and third table also demonstrate the percentages of total residents in these five districts.
Overall, there has been an tremendous increase in the number of residents during these 300 years. However, the percentage of Manhattan people compared with total was steadily went down from 1800 to 2000 whereas, remaining districts increased their residents by double in each 10 years.
In terms of whole New York city at the begining, its people were 79216 in number and ended at [redacted phone] in 2000. The proportion of Manhattan people in percentage kept on decreasing from 76% to 19%.
While, the local people of other districts were 24% in 1800, went almost doubled in 1900 to 46% and ended with 81% in 2000.
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 covers all parts of the prompt by identifying the key trends and data points from the tables. An overview is provided, noting the overall population growth and the shifting distribution between Manhattan and the other districts. However, the timeframe is miscalculated as 'three decades' and '300 years' rather than two centuries (1800 to 2000), which represents a noticeable factual misinterpretation of the data. Furthermore, some data points are slightly imprecise or lack depth in comparison. Despite these lapses, the main features of the tables are successfully reported, placing this submission firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range, rounded to 6.0 for addressing all parts of the task.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is structured into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs detailing specific figures. Logical sequencing is present, though the progression is somewhat hindered by awkward phrasing and abrupt transitions. Cohesive devices are attempted ('Overall', 'However', 'In terms of', 'While'), but their application is occasionally mechanical or inaccurate, as seen in the awkward use of 'While' at the start of a sentence. Paragraphing is used, but the overall arrangement feels a bit disjointed due to the brief and fragmented nature of the body sentences. This reflects the characteristics of Band 5.5, rounded to 5.5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with attempts at less common items such as 'variations', 'proportion', and 'residents'. However, there are noticeable word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'number of inhabitant' (instead of inhabitants), 'tremendous increase' (acceptable, but paired with inaccurate timeframes), and the phrase 'percentage of Manhattan people compared with total was steadily went down'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but the lexical control lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands, making this a solid Band 5.5 performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as tense and voice confusion ('was steadily went down', 'its people were 79216 in number and ended at 8009185'), missing plural markers ('inhabitant'), and awkward phrasing ('the local people of other districts were 24%'). While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning of the report, they occur with enough frequency to impede smooth reading, placing the grammar score at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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