Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-07-24

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 8.0)

The tables give information about the population of New York City over a 200 year period. It can be seen that the population was overwhelmingly concentrated in Manhattan in 1800 but had changed substantially by 2000. Overall, the population of New York increased dramatically. However, while Manhattan's share of the population decreased, the other four districts became home to most of the city's residents by 2000.

In 1800,New York City had a population of only 79,216 people. This number rose sharply to 3,437,202 in 1900 and reached 8,009,185 in 2000.Manhattan had 60,515 residents in 1800,accounting for 76% of the cumulative population count. It increased to 1,850,093 in 1900, but fell slightly to 1,538,096 by 2000.As a result, total percentage of population dropped from 76% to 19%.

By contrast, the population of the four districts grew continuously from 18,701 in 1800 to 1,587,109 in 1900, before rising dramatically to 6,471,089 in 2000.Their proportion of the city's population also increased from 24% to 81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response effectively identifies the main trends and provides a clear overview of the population shifts in New York City. You successfully highlighted the contrast between Manhattan's declining share and the growth of the other districts. The inclusion of specific data points from the tables supports your summary well. To reach a higher band, ensure you explicitly mention all five districts or group them more clearly, as the prompt asks for information regarding the five districts. However, the current selection of data is sufficient to provide a clear and accurate summary of the provided information.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'In 1800', 'By contrast', and 'As a result' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. The paragraphing is appropriate, with a clear distinction between the general overview and the specific data analysis. The flow of information is smooth, and the reader can easily follow the comparison between Manhattan and the other districts. No significant issues with cohesion were noted.

Lexical Resource — Band 8.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic report, such as 'overwhelmingly concentrated', 'substantially', 'rose sharply', and 'cumulative population count'. The word choices are generally precise and contribute to the clarity of the report. There are no noticeable spelling errors, and the vocabulary is used naturally throughout the text. To improve further, you could incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increased' or 'decreased' to avoid repetition, though the current range is sufficient for a high band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most sentences are error-free, and the punctuation is generally accurate. There are minor issues with spacing after punctuation (e.g., '1800,New' and '2000.Manhattan'), which are minor mechanical slips rather than grammatical errors. The control over tense and subject-verb agreement is strong. The use of complex structures, such as 'while Manhattan's share... the other four districts became...', shows good grammatical flexibility and control.

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