Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-07-29

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 given table illustrates the information on changes in the total population of New York. The second and third tables show changes in the population of the five districts of the city from 1800 to 2000,

Overall, in New York City, a drastic increase is observable. Manhattan and other districts [ Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island] follow a similar trend with a dramatic growth during the time period.

A cursory glance at the table is adequate to reveal that an abrupt rise is noticed in the change of the population from 79,216 to 8,009,185 between two centuries. Similarly, in Manhattan, the population faced a sudden surge from 60,515 to 1,538,096. Nevertheless, the percentage of the population is inversely proportional to population as population increased while percentage reduced from 76% to 19%,

Further looking at the table, the information reports the proportion of the people in other districts such as Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island am increment between 18,701 and 6,471,089 as similar in the percentage also escalate from 24% to 81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main features of the data, including the overall population growth and the shift in proportions between Manhattan and the other districts. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, the description of the 'other districts' is slightly confusing, as it groups them together rather than highlighting the distinct growth patterns of individual districts like Brooklyn or Queens. While the key trends are identified, the comparison between the total population and the district proportions could be more clearly articulated to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the data. The inclusion of specific figures is accurate, but the overall summary lacks a nuanced comparison of the specific growth rates across the different time periods provided in the tables.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Similarly', 'Nevertheless', and 'Further looking at the table', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or slightly awkward in their placement. The use of brackets for the list of districts is informal and should be avoided in an academic report. Additionally, the final sentence is grammatically disjointed, which hinders the flow of information. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated linking between the data points prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at more sophisticated phrasing such as 'drastic increase', 'cursory glance', and 'inversely proportional'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and awkward collocations. For example, 'the information reports the proportion... am increment' is grammatically incorrect and confusing. The term 'escalate' is used to describe a percentage, which is slightly unnatural in this context. While the student demonstrates a sufficient range to convey the main points, the errors in word choice and the lack of precision in describing statistical trends limit the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity, such as the incomplete sentence in the introduction and the awkward phrasing in the final paragraph ('am increment between 18,701 and 6,471,089 as similar in the percentage also escalate'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of brackets and commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic sentence construction and subject-verb agreement prevents the response from achieving a higher score. More attention to proofreading for grammatical accuracy is required.

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