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 first table illustrates the alterations in the overall population of New York City from 1800 to 2000. The remaining two tables show the population change in the five districts of the city, namely Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island, over the same period.
Overall, it can be seen that the alterations in the total population of NYC increased throughout the period, with Manhattan initially experiencing a greater change in the population among all five districts, and the remaining districts overall acounted for 81% of the total population change by the end.
The total population change rose from 79,216 to 8,009,185 people in 1800 and 2000 respectively.
Manhattan, in 1800, showed 76% of total population change, with 54% and 19% recorded in 1900 and 2000, respectively. The remaining four districts started off from 18,701 people, and overall accounted for 24% of total population change, with 46% appeared in 1900 and 81% by the end of the period, comprising 6,471,089 people. The population of all four districts showed 1,538,096 people in 1900 which was roughly the same as recorded in 2000 in Manhattan.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student addresses all parts of the task by summarizing the overall population changes and providing details on the five districts of New York City from 1800 to 2000. An overview is presented in the second paragraph, highlighting key trends such as Manhattan's initial dominance and the eventual growth of the other districts. However, the selection and reporting of data contain some inaccuracies and misinterpretations of the percentages, particularly regarding how the district data is grouped and reported in the body paragraphs. While the main features are touched upon, the lack of precise clarity in data interpretation pulls the task response down to a band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is coherently arranged into an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs. There is a logical progression from the overall trends to specific details. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'Overall', 'The remaining two tables', and 'respectively'. However, paragraphing is somewhat disjointed, with a single-sentence paragraph acting as a body section, and referencing between data points can be slightly confusing. Overall, the organizational structure is adequate and achieves a clear logical flow, aligning well with the band 6.0 descriptor.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, employing terms such as 'illustrates', 'alterations', 'overall', and 'comprising'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices are awkward or inaccurate, such as 'alterations in the total population... increased' (populations grow or increase, rather than alterations increasing) and the spelling error 'acounted' instead of 'accounted'. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main message without impeding communication, earning a band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory phrases effectively. There are several instances of grammatical and mechanical errors, such as 'with 46% appeared in 1900' (which should be 'with 46% appearing' or 'with 46% that appeared') and awkward phrasing in the concluding sentence. Despite these errors, the structures used do not severely impede communication and many sentences remain error-free, representing a solid performance at band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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