Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-01
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 6.0)
The given diagrams illustrate alteration in the total population of New York city from 1800 to 2000. The second and third table illutrate population changes in 5 specific districts of the city over the same time period. Overall, population increased steadily over the time expect in Manhattan.
The population of New York city increased rapidly from 79,216 in 1800 to 8,00,185 in 2000 of total population. However, in Manhattan, porpotion of pupolation steadily dropped by 19% in 2000 accounted 1,538,096 of a total population of New York. In the year 1900, population counted 1,850,930 in a city with 54% of total population of New York city
In addition, other districts like; Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten island population rose dramatically over the given time period. Total population calculated 6,471,089 and accounted 81% of total population in th year 2000. Moreover, in 1800 population counted 18,701 and 24% of a total population of New Yokr city.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers the main features of the data, including the overall population growth and the specific trends for Manhattan versus the other districts. However, the data reporting is inconsistent and contains inaccuracies. For instance, the total population figure for 2000 is written as '8,00,185', which is confusing and mathematically incorrect based on the provided table. Furthermore, the description of Manhattan's population drop is unclear, and the grouping of the other four districts is somewhat imprecise. While the main trends are identified, the lack of precision in reporting the figures and the failure to clearly compare the districts throughout the period limit the score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is organised into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure for a report. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'However', 'In addition', and 'Moreover'. However, the flow of information is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and unclear referencing. For example, the transition between the total population and the district-specific data is somewhat mechanical. The use of punctuation, such as the semicolon after 'like', is incorrect, which affects the overall readability. The progression of ideas is present but could be more fluid to achieve a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. There are several spelling errors, such as 'illutrate', 'porpotion', 'pupolation', and 'Yokr', which detract from the professional tone. The student relies on basic descriptive language like 'increased rapidly' and 'rose dramatically'. While these are appropriate for describing trends, the misuse of terms like 'accounted' (e.g., 'accounted 1,538,096') indicates a limited grasp of collocation. To improve, the student should focus on accurate spelling and more precise reporting verbs and nouns related to data analysis.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The response uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include incorrect article usage ('in a city', 'in the year'), subject-verb agreement problems, and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'accounted 1,538,096 of a total population'). The number formatting is also non-standard, which creates confusion. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of errors in basic grammar and punctuation prevents the response from reaching a higher band. More attention to proofreading for basic errors is required.
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