Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-07-30

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 tables outline the population counts in New York city and illustrat how residents numbers varies across its five boroughs during 1800 to 2000.

overall, there are three tables: The first shows how the population of new york city as whole has raisin during the last two centuries, 2000 recorded by far the highest increase in the city's population overall - in comparisen to previous times, the second and thierd tables gives us an insight on how the population density changes between mahattan and the other districts.

In the first table, there is an obviuos trend, which entails a dramatic surge in the city's population beginning from the 1900s – at around three million and a half – and continuing tell the 2000 hitting approximatly 8 millions, marking the biggest population increase, relative to past time periods.

As of population densities across different distrects, manhatten was most poplulated distrect of all - accounting for 76% of all the city population in 1800. However, figures reached equlibrium in 1900, where half of the people resided in manhatten (1,850,093) and the other half scattered across the other distrect (1,587,109). By 2000, manhatten population desity shrunk by the half and accounted only for the fifth of all the population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main trends in the data, such as the overall population growth and the shift in distribution between Manhattan and the other boroughs. However, the response lacks precision in reporting figures. For example, you mention 'three million and a half' for the 1900s, but the table shows 3,437,202. Additionally, the analysis of the second and third tables is somewhat limited; you focus heavily on Manhattan but do not provide enough comparative detail regarding the growth of the other four boroughs over the two-century period. To improve, ensure you include more specific data points from the tables to support your observations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices like 'However' and 'By 2000' to signal shifts in time or contrast. However, the cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and there are issues with referencing, such as the phrase 'the other distrect' which is singular despite referring to four distinct boroughs. The transition between the general population overview and the specific borough breakdown could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring plural/singular agreement in your references would enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'surge', 'equilibrium', and 'resided'. However, there are several spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'illustrat', 'raisin', 'comparisen', 'thierd', 'obviuos', 'distrect', and 'manhatten'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable, although they do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. To reach a higher band, you should focus on accuracy in spelling and ensure that you are using precise terminology for statistical reporting, such as 'proportion' or 'percentage' rather than 'fifth of all the population'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is a positive step. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses ('population... has raisin') and subject-verb agreement ('tables gives us'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences and missing commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall clarity of the report. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensuring consistent verb tense usage would significantly improve your score.

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