Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-09

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 data shows changes in the total number of people living in New York City as well as changing in the populations in its five districts from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, The total number of people residing in New York's districts from year 1800 to 2000 increased dramatically. While Manhattan recorded as the most populist district over the period of time.

From year 1800 to year 2000, there was a significant rise in overall population, which just started from having 79,216 locals in year 1800 to completing the figure of almost 8 million in year 2000.

Manhattan's population was just above 60,000 in year 1800, which changed significantly to approximately 1.5 million people in year 2000. Other districts like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island also showed a dramatic change in total population by year 2000, that increased from almost 18000 locals to approximately 6.4 million people by year 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main trends, such as the overall population growth and the significant increase in Manhattan. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention the total population and Manhattan, the other four districts are grouped together in a way that obscures the specific data provided in the tables. To achieve a higher band, you should highlight key differences between the districts (e.g., noting that Queens or Brooklyn experienced more rapid growth in later decades compared to Manhattan). The overview is present but could be more detailed regarding the specific trends across the different time periods.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'While' and 'From year 1800 to year 2000', but the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, though the transition between the general population data and the specific district data could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs, which is a positive feature of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'residing', 'dramatically', and 'significant rise'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'populist' (which refers to a political ideology) instead of 'populous' (having a large population). Additionally, phrases like 'completing the figure of' are slightly unnatural in this context. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations related to data reporting and ensure that descriptive adjectives are used accurately to reflect the trends shown in the tables.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'Manhattan recorded as the most populist district' is grammatically incorrect (it should be 'was recorded as' or 'was the most populous'). There are also minor issues with article usage and prepositional phrasing, such as 'from year 1800' instead of 'from 1800'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score.

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

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