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 depict the information regarding the changes in the population of five districts of New York city from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, it can be seen that the population size has increased significantly over the period. Although earlier the largest portion of city population lived in Manhattan but with the passage of time the highest proportion was covered by other four districts of the city.

In 1800, almost three-fourth of the city population lived in Manhattan which decreased gradually to 54 percent in 1900 and then reached 19 percent in 2000 withe the population of 1,538,096. Initially almost one-fourth of the total population of NewYork belonged to other four districts which surged rapidly to 46 percent in 1900 and reached the peak of 81 percent at the end of the period. The population of New York showed an increasing trend throughout the period and reached the total population of 8,009,185 in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers the main features of the data well. You successfully identified the overall trend of population growth and the significant shift in population distribution from Manhattan to the other four districts. However, the response is somewhat limited in its analysis of the specific districts. While you grouped the 'other four districts' together, the prompt provided data for each, and a higher band score would involve highlighting specific trends for at least one or two of these districts (e.g., the rapid growth of Brooklyn or Queens) rather than treating them as a single block. The data points are accurate, and the overview is clear.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph containing the supporting data. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices like 'Although', 'but', and 'initially', which help link your points. However, the transition between the overview and the body paragraph could be smoother. Additionally, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic; incorporating a wider variety of linking words or phrases to show contrast or consequence would improve the flow and help you reach a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'surged', 'proportion', and 'increasing trend' effectively. There are a few minor errors, such as 'withe' (a typo for 'with') and the slightly awkward phrasing 'covered by other four districts'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations. For example, instead of saying 'the highest proportion was covered by', you could use 'the majority of the population was concentrated in'. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but it lacks the sophistication required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as the missing article in 'population of New York city' (should be 'the city') and the phrasing 'although earlier the largest portion... lived in Manhattan but', which contains a redundant 'but' after 'although'. Despite these errors, your meaning is always clear, and the punctuation is generally correct. To reach a higher band, focus on reducing these minor errors and increasing the variety of your complex sentence structures, such as using more relative clauses or participial phrases.

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