Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

The first table illustrates changes in population of New York from 1800 to 2000. The second and third table depicts the changes in population of the five regions of the city (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) throughout the same period.

Overall the population of New York increased dramatically over the last 200 year. Initially Manhattan was the most populated district out of five, however later, other four borough experienced much faster growth and quickly caught up.

In 1800 New York city had a population of around eighty thousand, at that time Manhattan consisted 76 per cent of the total citizens around sixty thousand compared to other four districts just under twenty thousand people. Over the next hundred years the total number of inhabitants experienced substantial growth, reached just over 3.4 million. Manhattan still had the largest figure 1.8 million individuals. The other four regions was just behind Manhattan with close to 1,6 million.

By 2000, the trend had changed completely. Other four districts increased to approximately 6.5 million in contrast to Manhattan's 1.5 million which in fact decreased in number.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the population shifts in New York City. You highlighted the significant growth of the city and the shift in population distribution from Manhattan to the other four boroughs. The data is accurately reported, and you made relevant comparisons between the start and end points of the period. To reach a higher band, ensure you include more specific data points for the intermediate years (e.g., 1900 or 1950) to better illustrate the progression of the trend, rather than just focusing on the beginning and end.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group information effectively. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'however' and 'in contrast to', to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words. Additionally, some referencing is slightly mechanical. For example, 'other four districts' is repeated; using pronouns or synonyms like 'the remaining boroughs' would improve the cohesion and make the text read more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'dramatically', 'substantial growth', and 'inhabitants'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'Manhattan consisted 76 per cent' (should be 'accounted for' or 'comprised') and 'the other four regions was' (subject-verb agreement error). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary related to data description, such as 'accounted for', 'surpassed', or 'experienced a decline'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The second and third table depicts' should be 'tables depict'; 'The other four regions was' should be 'were') and missing articles ('in contrast to Manhattan's 1.5 million which in fact decreased in number'). Focusing on proofreading for basic agreement and article usage will help you achieve a higher score, as these errors are frequent enough to be noticeable.

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