Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-15
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 table charts below illustrates the transition in the population of five different regions such as Manhattan,Brooklyn,Bronx,Queens and the Staten island of the New york city from 1800 to 2000.
Overall, the whole figure of residents was increased over the time. In terms of the cities, the percentage of the Manhattan city showed sharp decline from 76% to 19%, while the rest of the cities were experienced the opposite trend.
In the first table, including all the districts, the figure of civilians was 79216 in 1800. And the numbers were increased significantly in 1900, which was 3,437,202. While in the last year, this figure reached at 8,009,185.
The data in following tables showed that Manhattan's population was almost three quarter higher (75%) in comparison of the other districts, likewise 60515 in Manhattan and 18701 in the other areas in 1800. Moreover, the data demonstrates that the figure was 1,850,093 with the slight decline in the percentage of total population(54%). In last year, the percentage plummeted in with 19% and the figure reached at 1,538,096.
Furthermore, the percentage of the total population from Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and the Staten island was increased throughout the time like jumping from 24% in 1800, 46% in 1900 and 81% in the final year. In 1900, the total numbers of the residents was 1,587,109, which after touched to 6,471,089 in 2000.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers the main trends and provides relevant data points from the tables. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the description of Manhattan's population in 1900 is confusing, as the text mentions a 'slight decline' in percentage while the figure itself increased significantly. Additionally, the grouping of the other four districts is handled well, but the overall summary lacks a clear, cohesive synthesis of the data. While the main features are identified, the interpretation of the figures is occasionally inaccurate, which impacts the clarity of the report.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In terms of', and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas. However, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'the figure reached at' or 'the data in following tables showed'. Referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the general population data and the specific district data could be smoother to improve the overall progression of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, with attempts to use terms like 'transition', 'plummeted', and 'significantly'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'the whole figure of residents', 'the rest of the cities were experienced', and 'in comparison of'. These errors do not impede communication, but they demonstrate a limited control over more sophisticated vocabulary and natural English phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the Staten island', 'the New york city'), verb forms ('were experienced', 'after touched to'), and prepositions ('reached at', 'in comparison of'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely prevent the reader from understanding the intended meaning. To reach a higher band, the student needs to improve control over basic sentence construction and reduce the frequency of these recurring errors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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