Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-07-27

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 6.5)

The line graph illustrates the number of jobs in US economy sectors such as manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the manufacturing sector had the highest number of jobs until 2020, when the retail and healthcare sectors took over, while the agricultural sector had the least.

In 1960, the manufacturing sector generated the highest economy in the US by providing 15 million job opportunities; by 1980, it had risen to 20 million; however, it experienced a decrease for the next four decades to about 13 million. As for the agricultural sector, it provided just above 5 million jobs in 1960, but decreased drastically to about 3 million in 1980. Its economy generation rate remained steady until 2000, when it decreased further to just 2 million.

The retail sector provided just above 5 million jobs in 1960 and rose drastically to 15 million in 2000, ranking as the second-highest income-generating sector in the US, and by 2020, it had just above 15 million job opportunities. Similarly, the healthcare sector provided about 3 million jobs in 1960, then followed a similar pattern as the retail sector, and by 2020, it had just above 15 million jobs, and together with the retail sector, it was the highest in the number of jobs in the US in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response is completely off-topic. The prompt asks for a summary of population data for New York City and its five districts, but the student has written a report about employment sectors in the US economy. Because the student failed to address the actual task requirements, the response cannot be assessed for task achievement regarding the provided data. This is a critical failure in task fulfillment, as the content provided is entirely irrelevant to the visual information presented in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

Despite the content being irrelevant to the prompt, the essay itself is structured logically. It follows a standard report format with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'In 1960', 'by 1980', 'however', and 'similarly' are used effectively to link ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different time periods and sectors. The internal flow of the text is clear, even though the subject matter does not match the task instructions.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic of economic sectors. Phrases like 'generated the highest economy', 'job opportunities', 'decreased drastically', and 'income-generating sector' are used accurately. While the vocabulary is not highly sophisticated, it is adequate for the task attempted. There are no significant spelling errors, and the word choice is generally precise within the context of the (incorrect) topic chosen by the student.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over tense usage, particularly the past simple and past perfect ('had risen', 'experienced', 'remained'). Punctuation is generally accurate, and the sentences are easy to follow. While there are some minor awkward phrasings, such as 'generated the highest economy', the grammatical errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. The control of grammar is consistent throughout the response.

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