Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-13

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 three tables elucidate the data about the population from 1800 to 2000. The first table represents the changes in overall populace. The second and third table demonstrates the shift in entire population of five districts of the city between 1800 and 2000.

Taking a general overview, the total population in New York City increased enormously between 1800 and 2000. Manhattan held the majority of the population of the city and the other district held less population than Manhattan alone.

It is pellucid that the entire population of New York City was 79,216 in the year 1800, While of this, 60,515 people lived in Manhattan, representing 76% of the city's populace. The rest 18,701 individuals lived in the other districts which are Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island, illustrating the 24% of New York's total population. In addition to that, by 1900, the population rose to 3,437,202 individuals. Whereas, Manhattan alone accounted for 54% of that populace. While, rest of all four district accounted for 46%.

Moving further, the entire population of New York City exceeded to 8 million. Manhattan's population slightly decreased to 1.5 million, representing only 19% to the total. In contrast, the populace of other districts surged to 6.47 million, representing 81% of the city's populace.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers the main features of the data well, identifying the overall growth trend and the shift in population distribution between Manhattan and the other districts. You successfully highlighted the key data points for 1800, 1900, and 2000. However, the report could be improved by providing more specific comparisons between the individual districts (e.g., mentioning which district grew the most) rather than grouping them all as 'other districts' throughout the text. While the main trends are clear, a more detailed breakdown of the provided tables would have strengthened the analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition to that', 'Moving further', and 'In contrast' to link your points. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or used in ways that feel repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different time periods. To reach a higher band, ensure that referencing (e.g., 'the rest 18,701') is more natural and that cohesive devices are used with greater variety and precision.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'elucidate', 'populace', 'surged', and 'accounted for'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'the rest 18,701' (should be 'the remaining 18,701') and 'exceeded to 8 million' (should be 'exceeded 8 million'). The word 'pellucid' is a bit unusual in this context; 'evident' or 'clear' would be more appropriate for a formal report. Overall, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'The second and third table demonstrates' should be 'The second and third tables demonstrate' (subject-verb agreement). Additionally, 'While of this' and 'While, rest of all four district' are grammatically incorrect and disrupt the flow. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are some issues with sentence fragments and unnecessary commas. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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