Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-09

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 illustrates the changes in the population of New York and the distribution of its population between manhattan and the other four districts from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, the population of New York City has dramatically increased over the period, whereas proportion of people living in manhattan has decreased considerably in contrast to other four districts.

Looking for at the overall population and manhattan, New York city’s population rose substantially from 79216 in 1800 to [redacted phone] in 2000, while manhattan’s population increased initially from 60515 in 1800 which was 76% of total New York city’s population to [redacted phone] in 1900 which was 54% of the entire New York city’s population, the fall started in 2000 as the population faced a sudden decline in the population which was [redacted phone], only 19% of the New York’s population.

Turning to the other four districts, there population grew dramatically throughout the period accompanied by a sudden increase in their share of the city’s population, in 1800 there population was just 18701 which is 24% of New York city’s total population , then in 1900 the population increased to [redacted phone] which was 46%, lastly there was a sudden spike in the population of the districts to [redacted phone] which was 81% of total new York population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully identifies the main trends and provides a clear overview. You have selected key data points to support your descriptions, such as the population figures for 1800, 1900, and 2000. However, the report could be improved by more clearly distinguishing between the five individual districts mentioned in the prompt. While you group them as 'the other four districts,' the prompt asks for information regarding all five districts. Additionally, the analysis of the data is accurate, but the structure could be more balanced to ensure all parts of the task are addressed with equal depth.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the total population to specific district trends. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive, relying heavily on simple connectors like 'while' and 'then.' Some sentences are quite long and run-on, which affects the flow. Improving the variety of linking phrases and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the overall coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'dramatically increased,' 'considerably,' and 'substantial.' However, there are consistent issues with capitalization (e.g., 'manhattan,' 'new York') and some minor word choice errors, such as using 'there' instead of 'their' in multiple instances. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more precise vocabulary related to data trends and ensure consistent attention to proper noun capitalization and basic spelling accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and punctuation. For example, 'there population grew' should be 'their population grew,' and the sentence structure in the third paragraph is overly long, lacking necessary full stops to separate distinct ideas. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the score. Focusing on sentence boundary control and proofreading for basic grammatical slips would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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