Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-21

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)

There are three tables describing changes in total number of people from 1800 to 2000 in New York(including all five districts) and separately for Manhattan and other four districts in second and third table respectively.

Overall, New York population size has increased up to more than ten times of its original number but on the contrary Manhattan has faced a decreasing trend in population.

The total number of people in the New York city was 79,216 which multiplied to 3,437,202 in the year 1900 and eventually to 8,009,185 in 2000. In 1800, 76% of total population was residing in Manhattan and rest 24% in other four districts(Brooklyn, Bronx, queens, Staten Island). From 1900, the percentage started to decline in Manhattan and became 54% whereas an increase up to 46% was observed in other districts. In 2000, the data became almost opposite when total population percentage in Manhattan became 19% and others was 81%.

This shift in population indicates the migration of people to other less famous districts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main features of the data well, identifying the overall growth in population and the shift in distribution between Manhattan and the other districts. You successfully highlighted the key trends and provided supporting data from the tables. However, the analysis could be improved by including more specific comparisons between the individual districts (e.g., Brooklyn or Queens) rather than grouping them all as 'other districts' throughout. Additionally, the final sentence about 'migration' is an inference not explicitly supported by the data provided in the tables, which should be avoided in Task 1. Overall, the response is clear and addresses the requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that present the data in a structured manner. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 1800', and 'whereas' helps guide the reader through the information. However, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Some referencing is slightly mechanical, such as the repetition of 'in the year 1900' and 'in 2000'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the general trend from the specific data points, which aids in the overall readability of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'decreasing trend', 'residing', and 'observed'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'data became almost opposite', which is slightly unnatural; 'the proportions were almost reversed' would be more precise. You also use 'less famous districts', which is a subjective description not based on the provided data. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations related to statistical trends, such as 'experienced a significant decline' or 'accounted for a substantial proportion'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'in second and third table respectively' (missing articles) and 'rest 24%' (missing 'the'). The phrase 'which multiplied to' is used correctly, but the sentence structure in the introduction is slightly cluttered. While there are errors in articles and prepositions, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on consistent article usage and ensuring subject-verb agreement in more complex sentences. The control of punctuation is generally good, and the meaning remains clear throughout the report.

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

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