Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-06

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 6.0)

The given tables illustrates the changes in population in New York City between 1800 to 2000 in addition the second table shows the changes of five districts in the city with manhattan having its own table while the first table demostrates the total population.

Overall we can see that the population increased in the whole of New York city, while it did decrease in Msnhattan, the other distrcts made up for it due to the fact that they increased by an large amount within the years.

In New York City as a whole the population began with only 79,216 however it rose by more than a half and by 1900 it was 3,437,202 and ended up at 8,009,185 in 2000. While New York City`s was increasing it was not the same case in Manhattan due to the fact that it was the only district that population actually declined by a large amount it started as 76% and ended up as 29% in 2000. In 1900 it had decreased by 22%.

However in the other given districts which were Brooklyn.Bronx,Queens and Staten Island the increase was more than a half. It started by only 18,701 which was 24% and was 46% by 1900 and rose to 81% which was 6,471,089.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main overall contrast: New York City’s population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share grew. You also include relevant figures for the city total and the combined other districts. However, one important figure is inaccurate: Manhattan accounted for 19% of the total in 2000, not 29%. The statement that the city’s population “rose by more than a half” is also unclear and understates the scale of growth. The overview would be stronger if it explicitly noted that Manhattan’s population itself peaked in 1900 before declining, while the other districts grew continuously. The response addresses the task, but some comparisons and trends are less fully and precisely reported than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the city total and district figures. This gives the reader a coherent route through the information. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “While,” and “However” help signal contrasts, although some connections feel mechanical or do not clearly express the relationship between the data. For example, “In 1900 it had decreased by 22%” is ambiguous: it refers to Manhattan’s share, but the reference point is not stated. The final paragraph also moves quickly from the starting figure to the later percentages. Use clearer references and organise comparisons consistently—for example, report each year’s population and share together—to make progression more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to describe the tables, including “population,” “increased,” “declined,” and “percentage,” and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, vocabulary is repetitive, with “increased” and “population” used frequently, and several choices are imprecise or unnatural. “Rose by more than a half” does not clearly describe the scale of change, while “made up for it” is informal and suggests compensation rather than a population comparison. There are also spelling errors, including “demostrates,” “Msnhattan,” and “distrcts,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for precise reporting verbs and collocations such as “accounted for,” “grew substantially,” and “fell to,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “while” and “due to the fact that,” and the main message is usually clear. Some grammatical errors remain. The opening has subject–verb disagreement in “tables illustrates,” and “between 1800 to 2000” uses an incorrect preposition pattern. The phrase “it did decrease in Msnhattan” also lacks a clear grammatical reference, while “it started as 76%” is an awkward construction for describing a share. Punctuation is sometimes weak, particularly in the list “Brooklyn.Bronx,Queens and Staten Island.” Work on agreement, prepositions, and sentence boundaries, and use a consistent structure such as “Manhattan’s share fell from 76% to 19%.”

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.