Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-12

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 first table depicts the overall population of New York City's five districts between 1800 and 2000 while the next two tables show the same changes separately.

Overall, the key feature is that the number of people increased dramatically in New York. Moreover, even though the number of residents in Manhattan increased over the years, the percentage of total population dropped for this area while the other four witnessed dramatic growth in both population and percentage.

In five districts of New York, the population had increased significantly from 79,216 in 1800 to 8,009,185 in 2000. Manhattan had the highest percentage of total population76% in 1800 while the other four parts(Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) were as low as 24%. Additionally, in 1900 Manhattan's figure was more than a half(54%) and the others were approximately 46%.

Conversely, the dominance of numbers reversed in the final year 2000 when Manhattan's proportion decreased to 19% while the other four districts were noted as high as 81% which was the highest recorded data in the whole chart.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the population changes. You selected key data points to support your description, such as the shift in population distribution between Manhattan and the other districts. However, the response could be improved by providing a more detailed breakdown of the individual districts (e.g., mentioning the rapid growth of Queens or Brooklyn specifically) rather than grouping them as 'the other four' throughout the report. This would provide a more comprehensive summary of the provided tables and better highlight the comparative differences between the districts over the two-century period.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'conversely', 'additionally', and 'overall' to guide the reader through the data. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be more precise. For example, in the second paragraph, the phrase 'the other four witnessed dramatic growth' is clear, but the flow between the general population increase and the specific district percentages could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed analysis, which helps the reader follow your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'depicts', 'witnessed', 'dominance', and 'proportion' correctly. There are some minor issues with collocation and phrasing, such as 'the other four parts... were as low as 24%' and 'noted as high as 81%'. While these do not impede communication, they sound slightly unnatural. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations related to data trends, such as 'accounted for', 'experienced a decline', or 'constituted a significant share'. Your spelling is accurate throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are some minor grammatical errors, such as missing spaces (e.g., 'population76%') and punctuation issues (e.g., 'parts(Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island)'). Additionally, the phrase 'the other four districts were noted as high as 81%' is slightly awkward; a more accurate structure would be 'the other four districts accounted for 81%'. Despite these slips, your meaning is always clear, and the errors do not interfere with the reader's understanding of the data trends.

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

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