Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-03
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 first table represents data of exponential population growth in the New York City. In 1800, where population stud at 79,216 grew immensely to 3,437,202 individuals in just hundred years. The population growth didn't stopped here but rather increased by just a little bellow three times to 8,009,185 people in the year 2000.
In Manhattan, during the year 1800 the individual share to the total New York population was 76% with the population of 60,515. Though the Manhattans population increased over 200 years but its share to the total New York's population has decreased to 19%.
On the other hand, other districts namely; Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island, saw more exponential population growth from the year 1800 to 2000. These districts had 18,701 people, less population share in 1800 as compared to Manhattan. But in contrast this ratio changed by the year 2000 where all other four districts with 6,471,089 individuals had a 81% population share as compared to 19% of Manhattan in 2000. In the year 1900 ratio to population stayed almost same between Manhattan and all the other districts, 54% and 46% respectively
Overall, all the New York City including all the districts saw a surge in population growth,
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 in the data, including the total population growth and the shift in distribution between Manhattan and the other four districts. However, the analysis is somewhat uneven. The final sentence is incomplete, which leaves the summary unfinished. While the key features are identified, the comparison between the districts could be more precise; for instance, the grouping of the four districts is a good strategy, but the explanation of the 1900 data is slightly confusing. To reach a higher band, ensure all sentences are complete and provide a more thorough synthesis of the data points provided in the tables.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. There is a logical progression from the total population to the specific district comparisons. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the use of the semicolon in 'namely; Brooklyn'. Additionally, the final paragraph is cut off abruptly, which disrupts the overall coherence of the response. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be improved with more sophisticated linking phrases.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to describe trends such as 'exponential population growth' and 'surge'. However, there are several errors in word choice and form, such as 'stud' instead of 'stood', 'bellow' instead of 'below', and 'ratio to population' which is not the most natural collocation. The range is sufficient to convey the main points, but the lack of precision in some areas and the repetitive nature of the phrasing limit the score. Using more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'share' would enhance the quality of the writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'didn't stopped' (tense error), 'Manhattans population' (missing apostrophe), and 'all the New York City' (article error). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they are frequent enough to indicate a lack of control over complex structures. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of semicolons and commas. More attention to subject-verb agreement and basic sentence construction is needed.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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