Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-07

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 informative tables compare the population changes across New York City as a whole and five of its districts. The data covers changes starting from 19th century to 21st century.

Overall, New York City saw a sharp rise in their population level over the last 300 years. But the situation was not the same for all districts of the city. For example Manhattans population was volatile. It had both upward and downward trends. However, the rest of the four districts had steady growth.

Moving to 21st century, the population of New York City in general had increased to more than twice of what it used to be in 1900. It rose from 3,437,202 to 8,009,185 in just a centenary. On one hand, districts such as Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island saw a sharp growth in population. It surged to its peak on 2000 as it reached 6,471,089 compared to 18,701 in 1800. It climbed from just 24% to 81% in terms of total population for New York City.

On contrary, Manhattan was the sole exception as it fluctuated over the years. Despite increasing by a lot while transitioning from 1800 to 1900, by 2000 it declined. As for the percentage of total population, it declined quite strongly, as it went from 76% to 19%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task and provides a clear overview of the population trends. You successfully identified the main features, such as the overall growth of NYC and the contrasting trends between Manhattan and the other districts. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data interpretation. For instance, you mention the data covers 300 years, but the tables span from 1800 to 2000 (200 years). Additionally, stating the population increased to more than twice what it was in 1900 is slightly inaccurate based on the provided figures (3.4 million to 8 million is more than double). Ensure data points are cited with higher precision to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the general city trends from the specific district comparisons. You use cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'On contrary', and 'However' to link ideas. While the flow is generally good, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the use of 'On contrary' is grammatically incorrect (should be 'On the contrary'). Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information clearly. Phrases like 'sharp rise', 'volatile', and 'surged to its peak' are appropriate for a data description task. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'in just a centenary' (which is awkward; 'in just one century' would be better) and 'increasing by a lot' (which is too informal for an academic report). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations to describe trends and proportions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Manhattans population' (missing apostrophe), 'on 2000' (should be 'in 2000'), and 'the rest of the four districts' (should be 'the other four districts'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. You have a good grasp of basic structures, but you need to focus on accuracy in prepositions and possessive forms to demonstrate better control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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