Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

The tables illustrate the population figures of New York City, as well as a breakdown comparing Manhattan with the other districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) between 1800 and 2000.

Overall, the New York City population dramatic continuous over the period. Additionally, while Manhattan initially contains vast majority of city residents, its share dropped significantly over time as the other cities residents are dominant overall population.

Regarding to New York City, expanded from 79,216 residents in 1800 to over 3.4 million in 1900, and reached to roughly 8 million by 2000. In 1800, Manhattan is maintained highest holdings in entire population, with 60,515 inhabitants (76%). Although Manhattan expanded to 1,850,093 by 1900, its relative share dropped to 54%. By 2000, Manhattan population decreased to 1,538,096, representing just 19% of the total.

In contrast, the remaining cities experienced doubled growth. In 1800, these areas with 18,701 which is 24% of total city. Coming to 1900, the growth increased to 1,587,109 and the share grew to 46% of population. The trend reached to 6,471,089 residents by 2000, while the share reached to 81% of overall population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all parts of the task, providing a clear overview and selecting relevant data points to support the main trends. The comparison between Manhattan and the other districts is well-handled. However, the report could be improved by including more specific data points for the individual districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, etc.) rather than grouping them entirely as 'remaining cities'. While the main features are identified, the analysis is slightly repetitive in its structure. Overall, it provides a clear summary of the provided data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Additionally', and 'Although' are used to link ideas. However, there are some minor issues with referencing and flow; for example, the phrase 'remaining cities' is used to refer to the other four districts, which is slightly inaccurate as they are boroughs, not cities. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed analysis.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, with attempts at using terms like 'inhabitants', 'representing', and 'proportion'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'population dramatic continuous' (missing a verb) and 'Manhattan is maintained highest holdings'. These errors do not impede communication but show a lack of precision. More varied vocabulary related to trends (e.g., 'surged', 'plummeted', 'gradual decline') would elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Manhattan initially contains' (tense inconsistency), 'Regarding to New York City' (incorrect preposition), and 'reached to' (unnecessary preposition). Subject-verb agreement is also inconsistent in places. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. A more careful proofreading of verb tenses and prepositions would be beneficial.

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