Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The table provides the information about changes in the population of New York city as a whole and compare the population of Manhattan with other four districts between 1800 and 2000.

Overall, the population of New York city increased dramatically over the period. However Manhattan share of population declined considerably, while the other four districts experienced substantial growth and accounted for the majority of the city's population by 2000.

In 1800, New York city had a total population of 79,216. of whom 60,515 (76%) lived in Manhattan. By 1900, the city's population had risen sharply to 3,497,202, while Manhattan's population increased to 1,850,093. Despite this growth, its proportion of the city's population fell from 76% to 54%. During the same period, the population of the other four districts rose from 18,701 to 1,587,109, increasing their share from 24% to 46% by 1900.

Between 1900 and 2000, the overall population of New York city continued to grow, reaching 8,009,185. Interestingly, Manhattan's population actually decreased slightly to 1,538,096, and its share of the total population fell dramatically to just 19%. In contrast, the combined population of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and State Island increased to 6,471,089, representing 81% of the city's total population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the population changes in New York City from 1800 to 2000, while also drawing relevant comparisons between Manhattan and the other four districts. The overview effectively captures the general upward trend of the city alongside the shifting distribution of residents away from Manhattan towards the other boroughs. Key figures from 1800, 1900, and 2000 are accurately cited to support the description, meeting all the requirements of a Band 7 response under Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised into a four-paragraph structure comprising an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific time periods. There is a clear overall progression from 1800 through 1900 to 2000. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'However', 'In 1800', 'By 1900', and 'In contrast' are used effectively to guide the reader through the data, although paragraphing could be slightly more balanced. Referencing is generally clear, resulting in a solid performance matching Band 7 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to academic task reporting, incorporating terms like 'dramatically', 'considerably', 'substantial growth', and 'proportion'. While there are a few minor lexical slips—such as 'New York city' instead of 'City', and a typo with 'State Island' instead of 'Staten Island'—the vocabulary is sufficiently flexible to convey precise trends and statistical comparisons, fitting comfortably into a Band 6.5 or 7 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as participial phrases ('of whom 60,515 lived in...') and subordinate clauses. There are occasional grammatical inaccuracies, most notably a sentence fragment ('of whom 60,515 (76%) lived in Manhattan.') and a minor missing preposition or capitalization error ('New York city'). However, the majority of sentences are grammatically sound and communication is never impeded, which aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.

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.