Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-02
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 charts illustrate the overall differences of New York City's population from 1800 to 2000 over the thchanges of five districts' number of residents (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) in similar years.
Overall, Manhattan consists the highest population in 2 periods but it experienced significant fall in year 2000. Conversely, The other four districts which showed the lowest had skyrocketed in the last century and reached its highest peak.
According to the graph, the total population of New York City has shown increases in number. It has the least population in the beginning but it surge at the end. It had 5 million increased compared to 1900 which had only 3 million. Considerably, Manhattan dominated the most occupants in 1800 for about 60, 515 which was 76% in total population compared to 24% in other cities. In contrast, for the last period other districts surpassed Manhattan by 81% which was 62% difference.
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 identifies the main trends, such as the overall population growth and the shift in dominance from Manhattan to the other districts. However, the data reporting is inconsistent and occasionally inaccurate. For example, the statement that Manhattan 'experienced significant fall in year 2000' is not clearly supported by the provided data, and the percentage calculations are confusing and difficult to follow. While the response covers the requirements of the task, the lack of precision in reporting the figures and the failure to clearly distinguish between the different time periods limit the effectiveness of the summary. More careful selection of key data points would improve the clarity of the overview.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is organised into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure for this task. However, the flow of ideas is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. The use of cohesive devices is limited, and some referencing is unclear, such as the phrase 'in similar years' in the introduction, which does not accurately describe the data. The progression of information is somewhat disjointed, particularly in the final paragraph where the comparison between 1800 and the 'last period' becomes difficult to follow due to imprecise language. Improved use of linking words would help create a smoother narrative.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'skyrocketed in the last century' and 'dominated the most occupants'. The use of 'surge' instead of 'surged' and 'consists' instead of 'consisted' indicates issues with word form and collocation. While the student attempts to use some descriptive language, the lack of accuracy in reporting the data makes the lexical choices less effective. Expanding the range of vocabulary to include more precise terms for describing trends and statistical changes would be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('Manhattan consists the highest population'), tense inconsistency ('it surge at the end'), and awkward phrasing ('5 million increased compared to 1900'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the placement of commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and ensuring consistent verb tenses would significantly improve the quality of the writing.
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