Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-22

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 following graphics depicts the total of population in several suburbs of United States from 1800 to 2000. While the first table illustrates New York City statistics, the second and third graph demonstrate different population districts.

Overall, New York was by far the largest city who increased their population throughout the 200-years period. Manhattan oscillates their numbers and the rest of the districts increased their numbers in a significant way.

By 1800, New York City began with almost 80.000 people, increasing significantly their numbers to almost 3.5 million by the 1900 and ended up with 8 millions of people by the end of the timeline.

Manhattan began with a total of 60.000 thousand residents by the 1800 with a 76% of the total population, following up a increased to 1.85 millions by the 1900 with a 54% and finally declining their numbers to a 19% of the total population.

Regards the rest of the districts, all of them increased their numbers throughout all the period. They begin with a 24% of the residents, significantly increasing their percentage to a 81% of people by the end of the timeline with almost 6,5 millions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the data, including the overall growth of New York City and the shifting proportions of the districts. However, there are inaccuracies in the interpretation of the data. For instance, the prompt refers to the five districts of New York City, but the introduction incorrectly labels them as 'suburbs of United States'. Additionally, the data points are occasionally misstated, such as the claim that Manhattan's population declined to 19% of the total, which requires more precise contextualization. While the main trends are identified, the analysis lacks the depth required for a higher band, as some comparisons between the specific districts are missing.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific data points. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'While', 'Overall', and 'Regards the rest', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'following up a increased' and 'Regards the rest of the districts'. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the referencing is sometimes imprecise, making the relationship between the tables and the text slightly disjointed at times.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. There are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'graphics depicts' (should be 'graphs depict'), 'oscillates their numbers' (should be 'fluctuates'), and '60.000 thousand' (redundant). The student attempts to use percentage-based vocabulary, which is appropriate for this task, but the execution is marred by grammatical inaccuracies. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise reporting verbs and avoiding redundant phrasing when discussing numerical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('Manhattan oscillates their numbers'), incorrect pluralization ('8 millions of people'), and misuse of prepositions ('by the 1900'). While the meaning is generally understandable, these recurring errors prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. The student should focus on basic sentence construction and ensuring that numbers and percentages are integrated into sentences with correct grammatical structures.

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

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