Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-07-26

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 demonstrate variations in the total population of New York City between 1800 and 2000. While the remaining two tables provides the data on how the population was distributed across its five districts over the same 200-year period.

Overall, the number of people has drastically increased in New York City over the span of 200 years. While, Manhattan city show a decline in population, the other four districts - Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island showed a growth during that period.

In 1800, the total population of New York City was 79,216, which showed a jumped to 3,437,202 by the year 1900. The population continues to increase to 8,009,185 by the end of year 2000. Manhattan city contributed a highest percentage in total population in 1800 with 76%, while other districts comprised of 24% of population.

In 1900, the population dropped in Manhattan, now contributing 54%, in comparison to other districts that contributes about 46%. By 2000, the other four districts showed a significant soared in population by an increased to 81%, that left Manhattan with 19% of total population

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers the main trends and provides relevant data points from the tables. You successfully identified the overall growth in New York City's population and the contrasting trends between Manhattan and the other districts. However, the report could be improved by including more specific data comparisons between the districts in the middle years, rather than focusing solely on the start and end points. The overview is clear, but ensure that all data points are accurate; for instance, the percentage figures for 1900 and 2000 are well-integrated to support your summary.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'While', 'In 1800', and 'By 2000' to guide the reader through the timeline. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the sentence structure in the final paragraph is a bit disjointed, particularly the phrase 'that left Manhattan with 19% of total population'. Improving the flow between sentences would help achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'variations', 'distributed', 'drastically', and 'contributed'. There are some minor errors in word form and collocation, such as 'showed a jumped' (should be 'showed a jump') and 'significant soared' (should be 'significant soar' or 'soared significantly'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. Expanding your range of reporting verbs and adverbs would enhance the quality of your analysis.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The first table demonstrate', 'tables provides') and incorrect verb forms ('population continues to increase' should be 'continued', 'other districts that contributes' should be 'contribute'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding the information. To improve, focus on consistent tense usage when describing historical data and ensure subject-verb agreement is maintained.

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