Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

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 surged in New York. Moreover, even though the number of residents in Manhattan sees fluctuation over the 200 years, the percentage of total population dropped steadily for this area while the other four witnessed growth in both population and percentage.

The five districts of New York, the population increased significantly from 79,216 in 1800 to 8,009,185 in 2000. Manhattan had the highest figure (76%) of total 60,515 people in 1800 while the other four boroughs (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) were roughly 18,701, as 24%. Additionally, in 1900 Manhattan's figure was more than a half 54% with 1,850,093 and the others were approximately 46% with total 1,587,109.

Conversely, the dominance of numbers reversed in the final year 2000 when Manhattan's population decreased to 1,538,096, as 19%; while the other four districts were noted up to 6,471,089, as 81% which was the highest recorded data in the whole chart.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all parts of the task well. You have successfully identified the main trends, such as the overall surge in population and the shifting dominance from Manhattan to the other four boroughs. You have also made relevant comparisons between the years 1800, 1900, and 2000. The data is accurately reported, and the overview provides a clear summary of the key features. To reach a higher band, ensure that the distinction between the 'total' population and the 'percentage' is always clearly articulated, as some phrasing regarding the 'other four' could be more precise.

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 'Moreover', 'Conversely', and 'Additionally' to link ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed data analysis. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the general trend to specific data points. To improve, ensure that referencing is always precise; for example, in the third paragraph, the phrase 'the other four boroughs... were roughly 18,701' is slightly ambiguous as it refers to the population count rather than the percentage.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information with precision. Words such as 'surged', 'fluctuation', 'dominance', and 'reversed' are used effectively in the context of describing data. There are some minor issues with collocation and phrasing, such as 'noted up to' or 'the dominance of numbers', which are slightly unnatural. However, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows for clear communication of the trends shown in the tables.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there are some grammatical errors, such as 'the population increased significantly' (which is a fragment when preceded by 'The five districts of New York') and 'as 24%' (which is slightly awkward phrasing), these do not impede communication. The use of punctuation is generally sound. To improve, focus on ensuring that your sentences are complete and that prepositional phrases are used more naturally to describe data points.

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

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