Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-05

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 given tables depict the changes in the number of people of different cities of from the year 1800 to 2000. The first table illustrates the changes in population of the New York city, while the other two deal with the Manhatten city and Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island respectively over the given period of time.

Overall, the population of each distric increased over the period of time. The population of other districts showed and increase however, Manhattan's percentage of total population decreased with the passage of time.

Initially, New York city had less ttha 80 thousand of population that experienced a dramatic surge in 1900 where it reached to over 34 lacs and at the end reached over 8 lacs in the year 2000.

Similarly, Other districts also showed in increase in the trend where their population comprised around 24 of the total population the New York city, making to its double of around 46% in 1900. In 2000, it climbed to its peak and became 81% of total population that is over 64 lacs.

In contrast, Manattan initially had around 76% of the total number of people but reached to 54% that is aroun 18 lacs in 1900 and drammatically declined to just over 19% in the year 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the overall population changes and the district breakdowns over the two centuries. An adequate overview is provided, noting the general growth trends and the shift in Manhattan's share of the population. Key data points, such as the initial and final figures and percentages, are selected and compared appropriately. However, some data is inaccurate or misread, notably the 2000 total population of New York City, which is incorrectly stated as over 8 lacs (800,000) rather than over 8 million, and a similar error regarding the 2000 other districts figure. These inaccuracies prevent the score from reaching a higher level, as the information presented is occasionally misleading regarding the actual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear separation of paragraphs, including an introduction and an overall summary. Information is generally organized logically, starting with the citywide totals and moving into the district comparisons. However, cohesion at times feels mechanical and repetitive, relying heavily on basic time markers such as 'Initially' and 'In 2000'. Furthermore, referencing and logical progression are occasionally disrupted by imprecise phrasing, such as grouping multiple districts together awkwardly or using transitional phrases that do not smoothly connect the ideas. Paragraphing is present, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be improved to achieve a stronger sense of progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The lexical resource is somewhat limited and displays noticeable errors. The student attempts less common vocabulary, such as 'dramatic surge' and 'climb to its peak', but also makes significant word choice and spelling errors that detract from the quality of the writing. For instance, 'distric' is misspelled, 'Manhatten' is inconsistent, and Indian numbering terms such as 'lacs' are inappropriate for an academic international test. There are also awkward collocations and imprecise expressions, such as 'number of people of different cities' and 'making to its double'. These lexical slips and restricted range place the vocabulary at this level, as communication is sometimes hindered by imprecise terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting comparative structures and relative clauses. However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent, with frequent errors in articles, prepositions, and verb forms. Examples include 'less ttha 80 thousand of population', 'showed and increase', and 'reached to 54% that is aroun 18 lacs'. There are also instances of awkward prepositions and missing articles, such as 'total population the New York city'. While these errors do not completely obscure the intended meaning, they occur frequently enough across simple and complex structures to prevent the response from demonstrating a higher level of grammatical control.

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