Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-14

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 tables illustrate the total population change in New York City and its five districts during the time period of 1800 to 2000.

Overall, It is noted that New York City population rose significantly. Manhattan had the most population however it gradually declined and the other four districts; Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island population rose up steadily.

During the year 1800, The population of New York City was 79,216 in which Manhattan contributed 76% of the population, whereas the other districts Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island had a total of 24% of New York population. By the year 1900 New Yorks population had increased by around 3,288,996 people. Manhattan still held the most population of New york with a 54%, while the other four districts held 46% population.

In year 2000, the population of New york City was recaorded at 8,009,185. Furthermore, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten island held significantly 81% of population, whereas Manhattan had only 19% of New York City population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the total population change in New York City and its five districts from 1800 to 2000. Key data points, such as the total population figures in 1800, 1900, and 2000, as well as the proportional shifts between Manhattan and the other four districts, are successfully identified and compared. For instance, the writer notes that Manhattan held 76% of the population in 1800, dropping to 19% by 2000, while the remaining four districts grew significantly to 81%. However, the overview is somewhat basic and could be more fully developed with a clearer summary of the overarching trends throughout the two-century span. Overall, the response meets the core requirements of Task Achievement at a Band 6 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical chronological progression from 1800 to 2000. Paragraphing is utilised to separate the introduction, overall summary, and specific body paragraphs detailing different years. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally faulty or mechanical. For example, sentences like 'Overall, It is noted that...' feature inappropriate capitalisation and punctuation errors. Furthermore, referencing and transitional phrases between the body paragraphs could be smoother to avoid abrupt shifts. Cohesive devices are somewhat limited and repetitive, placing this response firmly in the Band 6 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing statistical data and demographic trends, such as 'population change', 'significantly', 'gradually declined', and 'rose up steadily'. However, there are notable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'New yorks' instead of 'New York's' and 'recaorded' instead of 'recorded'. The writer attempts less common lexical items but lacks precision, often repeating basic descriptive phrases like 'held the most population' and 'four districts'. While communication is not impeded by these inaccuracies, the frequent slips in spelling and form prevent the response from achieving a higher lexical band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and comparative structures, such as 'in which Manhattan contributed 76% of the population'. However, there are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text. Examples include unnecessary capitalisation ('It is noted', 'The population'), missing apostrophes ('New yorks population'), and awkward prepositions or phrasing ('held significantly 81% of population'). While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they occur consistently enough to restrict the grammatical score to a Band 5.5.

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