Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-12

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 given data shows the variations in the population of New York City over the years from 1800 to 2000 and relatively its five districts Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island.

In the New York city the population increased massively in 2 centuries. The overall population of all districts have increased too. However, Manhattan's population have seen huge increase in the first century and later it reduced comparatively. As for other districts indeed population showed a sharp increase in all centuries.

The population of New York City in 1800 is reported as 79,216 out of which 60,515 are from Manhattan and rest 18,701 are from other districts.

This showed a huge increase in 1900 as 3,437,202 were residing in New York City which consists of 1,850,093 from Manhattan, that showed 54% increase over the time of 100 years, and 1,587,109 in other districts with and increase on 46%. But in 2000 we have seen an abrupt increase with 8,009,185 individuals reported as residents in New York including 1,538,096 from Manhattan, that surprisingly showed only 19% increase but other districts showed abnormal growth with a huge number of 6,471,089 individuals and total 81% rise.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers the main features of the data well, reporting overall population changes for New York City and its five districts across the years 1800, 1900, and 2000. Key data points such as the initial 1800 population of 79,216 and the 2000 total of 8,009,185 are successfully cited. Comparisons are made between Manhattan and the other districts, highlighting the shift in population distribution over the two centuries. However, some of the percentage calculations and descriptions lack complete clarity, such as the confusion around the exact breakdown of growth percentages. The response meets the requirements of an overview, though further extension and precision in highlighting broader trends would elevate the task response. Overall, the performance aligns well with Band 6.0 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the response chronologically. Paragraphing is used, separating the introduction, general trends, and specific data points. However, logical progression is occasionally hindered by abrupt transitions and somewhat repetitive sentence starters, such as 'This showed' and 'that showed.' Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or used inaccurately, as seen in phrases like 'and relatively its five districts' in the opening sentence. Referencing is generally understandable, but pronoun use can be ambiguous. These issues place the response firmly in Band 5.5 to 6.0, matching the characteristics of Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating words such as 'variations,' 'massively,' 'abrupt increase,' and 'individuals.' There are several attempts to use less common vocabulary, though this is sometimes accompanied by awkward collocations or word choice errors, such as 'and relatively its five districts' instead of 'along with its five districts' or 'abnormal growth' instead of 'substantial growth.' Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication. This performance fits the Band 6.0 criteria well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer attempts various complex structures, such as relative clauses ('out of which 60,515 are from Manhattan') and participial phrases ('including 1,538,096 from Manhattan'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tense consistency and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the population of all districts have increased' instead of 'has increased'; 'population in 1800 is reported' instead of 'was reported'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are noticeable, they rarely impede overall communication. These features are characteristic of a Band 5.5 to 6.0 performance.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.