Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-30
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 below demonstrate changes in the total population of New York city from 1800 to 2000. Second and third tables illustrate changes in the population of the five districts of the city (Manhattan,Brooklyn,Bronx,Queens,Staten Island) over the same period of time. First of all, we will discuss about first table. In 1800, the population was 79,216. It increases to around 3,437,202 in next century. In 2000, it increases to around 8 million. This illustrate that population of New York ciy increases devastatly in 1900 to 2000. After that, now we will compare the increasing in population of Manhattan and other four districts of city. In 1800, the population of Manhattan was 60,515 which was major part of total population of city as 76%. In contrast, population of other four districts was only 18,701 which was only 24% of total population of city, minor part of city's population. Moreover in 1900, population of Manhattan increases to 1,850,093 but it was then became 54% of total population city. In case of population of other four districts, their population increases to 1,587,109 which became 46% of total population of city. Additonally, in 2000, population of Manhattan decreases to 19% but oher districts' population increases to 81%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student addresses the main features of the task by reporting the overall population changes and comparing Manhattan to the other four districts across the three given years (1800, 1900, and 2000). Key statistics such as population numbers and percentage shares are referenced. However, the response adopts a conversational and overly informal tone inappropriate for an Academic task, such as 'First of all, we will discuss about first table.' Furthermore, there is no formal overview paragraph summarising the main overarching trends, which limits the development of Task Achievement to a Band 6.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, though the structuring relies heavily on awkward, conversational signposts like 'First of all, we will discuss about first table' and 'After that, now we will compare...' rather than sophisticated cohesive devices. Progression is somewhat mechanical, and referencing is occasionally clumsy. However, the overall arrangement is coherent, and the reader can follow the comparisons between Manhattan and the other districts, placing the response securely in Band 5.5 to 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for communicating the data, featuring terms like 'population', 'districts', and 'percentage'. However, there are notable lexical errors and unnatural word choices, such as 'increases devastatly' (devastatingly/dramatically) and 'it was then became'. The range is fairly limited and repetitive, with frequent reliance on basic verbs like 'increases' and 'decreases'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but the lexical control struggles with precision, leading to a Band 5.5 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several tense and subject-verb agreement errors, such as 'The first table below demonstrate' (demonstrates), 'It increases to around 3,437,202 in next century' (missing article), and 'population of Manhattan increases to 1,850,093 but it was then became' (mixed tense/structure). While these errors do not completely obscure meaning, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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