Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-24
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 illustrates the changes in the total population of New York City from the year of 1800 to 2000. While, the second and third tables show changes in the population of the five districts of the city : Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island over the same period.
To begin with New York City population considering all the five districts mentioned above, It was reported about 79,216 in the year of 1800, 3,437,202 in the year of 1900 and in the year of 2000, it were reached to 8,009,185. Now, coming to the comparison of the main five districts of the city, Manhattan has the maximum population of 60,515 in the year of 1800 with 76% of the total population. On later stage, it was gradually increased by 1,850,093 and 1,538,096 in the year of 1900 and 2000 respectively. From year of 1800 to 2000, & of the total population has been decreased from 76% to 19%.
While on the other part, combined population of remaining four districts population was 18,701 in the year of 1800 and 6,471,089 in the year of 2000. % ration of the total population was increased by 24% to 81%.
To conclude, Manhattan population was gradually decreased in the total % ratio, while other four cities % ratio was increasing from the period of 1800 to 2000.
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 addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the total population and the breakdowns for Manhattan and the other districts across the three given years (1800, 1900, and 2000). Key figures and percentages—such as Manhattan's drop from 76% to 19% and the rise of the other districts from 24% to 81%—are successfully integrated. However, the overview is rather weak, functioning more as a concluding observation rather than a distinct summary of main trends placed early in the text. There are also minor awkward phrasings regarding data reporting, but the overall coverage of visual data is accurate and fulfills the requirements of Task 1.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is structured into four distinct paragraphs, attempting an introduction, body sections, and a conclusion. However, cohesion is frequently faulty or mechanical. Expressions like 'To begin with New York City population considering all the five districts mentioned above' and 'Now, coming to the comparison' are conversational and overly informal for an Academic task. Furthermore, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as '& of the total population has been decreased', and paragraph transitions lack seamless logical progression. While an overall framework is present, the mechanical cohesive devices limit the score to a solid band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'population', 'districts', 'percentage', and 'combined'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, awkward word choices, and grammatical word-formation issues, such as 'remaining four districts population', '% ration of the total population', and '& of the total population'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are undermined by these inaccuracies and missing symbols. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the data, but it falls short of the precision expected at higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, such as 'It was reported about 79,216', 'it were reached to 8,009,185', and 'Manhattan population was gradually decreased'. Prepositional and verb tense/voice errors appear frequently (e.g., 'other four cities % ratio was increasing'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they disrupt the flow and demonstrate limited accuracy when attempting more complex structures. Punctuation is also occasionally unconventional, such as placing spaces before colons and commas.
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