Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-08
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)
Three tables illustrate the variations in total population of New York and five districts of the city ( Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) over the same period from 1800 to 2000.
Overall, the population in New York, Manhattan and in other districts increased over the period. While the surge in Manhattan City has gradually low as compare to other tables.
On the one hand, In 1800 the population of New York City was 79,216. which grown dramatically till 2000 with 8,009,185. As compare to other tables the number of population of Manhattan City increased progressively from 60,515 to 1,538,096 in the period between 1800 to 2000 . whereas, in other districts, population growth rate was24%, 46% and 81% in the period of 1800 to 2000.
By comparison, population in other districts included Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island accelerated considerably. In 1800, the number of population was 18,701 and it rose up to 1,587,109 in 1900. subsequently, it climbed with 6,471,089. Which is the highest among three tables.
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
You identify the broad pattern of strong growth in New York City and the shift in population share from Manhattan to the other districts. You also include several relevant figures, such as the city’s total in 1800 and 2000 and the other districts’ populations. However, the overview is unclear when it says Manhattan’s population “has gradually low,” and it incorrectly suggests that Manhattan’s population increased throughout: it rose to 1,850,093 in 1900, then fell to 1,538,096 by 2000. The percentages 24%, 46% and 81% are reported without clearly explaining that they are the other districts’ shares of the total. Compare all three years accurately and make the contrasting trends explicit to develop the summary more fully.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two body paragraphs, and the contrast signalled by “By comparison” is relevant. However, progression is weakened by unclear or repetitive links, including “On the one hand” without a corresponding “on the other hand,” and “As compare to other tables,” which does not clearly establish a comparison. Some sentences are separated awkwardly: “79,216. which grown dramatically” and “6,471,089. Which is the highest…” The paragraph about Manhattan and the other districts also combines figures in a way that makes the comparison difficult to follow. Organise the details by time or by district, and use clear references to show what each figure represents.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “population,” “surge,” “rose,” and “accelerated considerably,” and the meaning is generally recoverable. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, such as “the surge … has gradually low,” “number of population,” and “population growth rate was 24%, 46% and 81%,” where the figures are population shares rather than growth rates. “Manhattan City” is also not the appropriate name for the district. These choices sometimes obscure the intended trend. Aim for precise reporting language and use terms such as “population share,” “increased,” and “declined” according to the data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response attempts some longer structures, including “While the surge in Manhattan…” and “As compare to other tables…,” but these are not controlled successfully. Errors occur in verb forms and sentence construction: “which grown dramatically” needs a finite verb, while “has gradually low” is incomplete and does not express a clear grammatical relationship. There are also sentence-boundary and capitalisation problems, as in “79,216. which…” and “6,471,089. Which…”. The phrase “in the period between 1800 to 2000” also uses an incorrect paired construction. Practise building complete sentences with accurate past-tense verbs, and check punctuation so that dependent clauses are joined to the main clause.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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