Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-24

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 7.0)

The tables provide information about the population of New York City as a whole and show the populations and percentages of residents living in Manhattan and the other four districts in 1800, 1900 and 2000.

Overall, the population of New York City increased dramatically over the period, rising from just 79,216 in 1800 to more than 8 million in 2000. While Manhattan accounted for the vast majority of the population in 1800, its share declined considerably over time, with the other four districts becoming increasingly populated.

In 1800, New York City had a population of only 79,216, of which 60,515 people, or 76%, lived in Manhattan. By 1900, the city's population had risen sharply to 3,437,202. Manhattan's population also increased substantially to 1,850,093. however, its proportion of the city's total population fell to 54%.

By 2000, the total population had more than doubled from the 1900 figure, reaching 8,009,185. Interestingly, Manhattan's population decreased slightly to 1,538,096, representing just 19% of the total. In contrast, the combined population of Brooklyn, the Bronx , queens , states island is higher.

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 population growth and the shift in population distribution from Manhattan to the other districts. You have included relevant data points from the tables to support your observations. However, the final sentence is underdeveloped; it mentions that the combined population of the other districts is higher but fails to provide the specific figures or a clear comparison to the 1800/1900 data, which would have strengthened the analysis. Overall, the information is accurate and the main features are clearly highlighted.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Ideas are sequenced chronologically, which makes the progression easy to follow. You use cohesive devices such as 'While', 'In contrast', and 'By 1900' effectively to link ideas. However, the final sentence is slightly abrupt and lacks a cohesive link to the previous data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed analysis. The referencing is generally clear, though the list of districts in the final sentence could be integrated more smoothly into the flow of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information with precision. Phrases like 'accounted for the vast majority', 'declined considerably', and 'rising sharply' are used effectively. There are some minor issues with capitalization and punctuation, such as 'queens' and 'states island' (should be 'Queens' and 'Staten Island'), which are minor slips rather than a lack of vocabulary range. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'population' or 'increased' to avoid repetition, although the current range is adequate for the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response shows a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You use subordinate clauses effectively, such as 'of which 60,515 people, or 76%, lived in Manhattan'. There are very few grammatical errors; however, there is a punctuation error in the final paragraph where a comma is missing before 'queens' and the capitalization of proper nouns is inconsistent. Additionally, there is a minor error in the final sentence: 'is higher' should be 'was higher' to maintain consistency with the past tense used throughout the report. Despite these, the majority of sentences are error-free.

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