Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-16
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 provided table illustrates the total population changes in New York city between 1800 to 2000 and second and third table provide informations on population change in Manhattan, Brookyln, Bronx, Queens,and Staten Island over the same period.
Overall, New York city's population increased dramatically between 1800 and 2000. Altough manhattan remained most populated distric in 1800 and 1900 its popolation declined considerably by 2000.
Detailed analysis of graph revealed that New york city's population increased significantly over the period shown, rising from 79,216 in 1800 to 3,437,202 in 1900 before reaching 8,009,185 in 2000. Manhattan was most populated district in both 1800 and 1900 with populations of 60,515 and 1,850,093 respectively. However city population declined steadily from 76% in 1800 to 54% in 1900 and then to 19% in 2000.
In contrast, the combined population of five districts grew dramatically throughout the period .Their population increased from 18,701 in 1800 to 1,587,109 in 1900 and then surged to 6,471,089 in 2000. As a result their proportion of new york's populations
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response covers the main features of the tables, successfully reporting the overall population growth of New York City and making relevant comparisons between Manhattan and the other districts over the given years. The student correctly highlights key data points, such as the total figures for 1800, 1900, and 2000, and notes the dramatic shift in population distribution away from Manhattan. However, the response trails off abruptly at the very end ('As a result their proportion of new york's populations'), leaving the final comparative sentence unfinished. Despite this minor truncation, all parts of the prompt are addressed with clear data selection, earning a solid band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is generally coherent and follows a logical organizational structure, moving from an introductory overview to body paragraphs detailing the total population and district-specific trends. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'In contrast' are employed to guide the reader through the comparisons. Nonetheless, the referencing is occasionally loose, and the abrupt ending disrupts the overall flow and progression of the writing. Paragraph transitions could also be smoother to enhance readability, placing this section firmly in the mid-band range.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, utilizing terms such as 'illustrates', 'dramatically', 'considerably', and 'proportion'. There are several spelling and typographical errors throughout the text, including 'city' instead of 'City', 'Altough' for 'Although', 'manhattan' for 'Manhattan', 'distric' for 'district', 'popolation' for 'population', 'Brookyln' for 'Brooklyn', and 'informations'. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they reflect a lack of careful proofreading and prevent the lexical score from reaching higher tiers.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
A mix of simple and complex sentence forms is attempted, such as 'Altough manhattan remained most populated distric in 1800 and 1900 its popolation declined considerably by 2000.' However, this sentence contains several punctuation and grammatical errors, notably missing commas and articles ('the most populated district'). Other mechanical issues include capitalization errors like 'New york' and 'new york's', along with the incomplete final sentence which leaves a grammatical structure dangling. While control over basic structures is apparent, frequent minor slips and punctuation lapses keep the score at this level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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