Band 8.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.5 · 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 8.5)

Here is a model academic response formatted in the style of an IELTS Academic Task 1 report:

Report

The provided tables illustrate the demographic changes in New York City and its constituent districts over a two-hundred-year period from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, New York City experienced massive and continuous population growth throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. A significant geographical shift also occurred, moving away from Manhattan's early dominance toward the expansion of the outer districts.

In 1800, the total population of New York City stood at a modest 79,216. At this time, Manhattan was overwhelmingly the primary residential hub, housing 60,515 people and accounting for 76% of the city's total population. By contrast, the other four districts—Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island—contained only 18,701 residents, making up just 24% of the total.

Over the next century, the city underwent rapid urbanization. By 1900, the overall population surged to 3,437,202. Manhattan's population peaked at 1,850,093, though its proportional share dropped to 54%. Meanwhile, the combined population of the other districts grew exponentially to 1,587,109, capturing 46% of the city's inhabitants.

By 2000, New York City's total population reached 8,009,185. A complete demographic reversal took place during this second century: the other districts became home to 6,471,089 people, representing a dominant 81% of the total population. Conversely, Manhattan's population declined slightly to 1,538,096, shrinking its share to a mere 19%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The response fully and accurately addresses all parts of the task. The student successfully highlights the main features of the demographic data, including the total population growth from 1800 to 2000 and the significant shift in population distribution between Manhattan and the other districts. Data points, such as the exact population figures and percentages for 1800, 1900, and 2000, are cited accurately and integrated smoothly to support the comparisons. The overview captures both the continuous growth and the geographical shift clearly, fulfilling all requirements of the Band 9 descriptor for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The report is exceptionally well-structured and easy to follow. Information is logically sequenced, beginning with an introduction that paraphrases the prompt, followed by a clear overview paragraph, and then chronological body paragraphs detailing the data for 1800, 1900, and 2000 respectively. Cohesive devices are used naturally and unobtrusively (e.g., 'At this time', 'By contrast', 'Over the next century', 'Meanwhile', 'Conversely'). Paragraphing is entirely appropriate and contributes to a smooth, logical progression throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 8.5

The student demonstrates a wide, flexible, and precise range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic report. Less common lexical items and collocations are used skillfully and naturally, such as 'constituent districts', 'demographic changes', 'residential hub', 'rapid urbanization', 'population surged', and 'demographic reversal'. Word choice and collocations are accurate throughout, and spelling is flawless. The vocabulary meets the high standards required for a Band 9.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.5

A wide variety of complex sentence structures is used with full flexibility and complete accuracy. The student employs participial phrases, subordinate clauses, and varied transitional structures (e.g., 'housing 60,515 people and accounting for 76%', 'while the combined population of the other districts grew exponentially'). Grammar and punctuation are immaculate, and the response consists entirely of error-free sentences, demonstrating full mastery over the grammatical range required for this task.

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

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