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 tables given illustrates the variation of population from the year 1800 to 2000 in all five disctricts of New York City combined and then seperately for each district.
Overall, an increasing trend can be seen in the population, where Manhattan comprising of largest percentage of total population in the start but declining in the next decades following an increase in number of people in other districts.
The total population recorded in 1800 was 79,216 increasing drastically upto 3,437,202 in the year 1900, rocketing to 8,009,185 in the year 2000. As for the division of population in the districts, Manhattan consisted of largest percentage of population that is 76% leaving the rest 24% for the other districts. It shrinked in 1900 by 22%. Eventually, only 19% percent of total population was left in Manhattan in the year 2000, resulting in a drastic shift of 81% of population in the remaining four districts.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The student successfully addresses the main features of the tables, outlining the overall population growth of New York City and contrasting the changing proportions of Manhattan against the other districts over the two-century span. The response includes accurate referencing of data points, such as the 1800 population of 79,216 growing to over 8 million in 2000, and captures the shift from Manhattan housing 76% of the population down to 19%. An overview is present in the second paragraph, effectively summarising the main trends. However, the explanation of the percentage decrease for Manhattan ('It shrinked in 1900 by 22%') slightly misinterprets the data, as the drop from 76% in 1800 to 54% in 1900 is a 22 percentage-point decrease, but overall the task is well covered, earning a solid Band 7.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The response exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. It is divided into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and a body paragraph that details the specific statistical data. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'The total population recorded...', and 'As for the division of population'. Paragraphing is appropriate, separating the introduction, overview, and body content distinctly. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally feel slightly mechanical, and the transitional links between sentences within the final paragraph could be smoother. Nevertheless, the progression of information remains logical and easy to follow, supporting a Band 6.5 or 7.0; given the clear structure, a Band 7 is awarded.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, employing terms such as 'variation', 'increasing trend', 'drastically', 'rocketing', and 'proportion'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with varying degrees of success. There are a few spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'disctricts' instead of districts, 'seperately' instead of separately, and the use of 'shrinked' instead of shrank. While these errors do not impede communication, they restrict the lexical score. The phrasing 'Manhattan comprising of largest percentage' contains a minor grammatical slip in word formation. Overall, the lexical resource is sufficient for the task and meets Band 6 criteria.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating participial phrases and relative clauses, such as 'where Manhattan comprising of largest percentage of total population in the start but declining in the next decades...' and 'resulting in a drastic shift of 81% of population...'. However, there are several grammatical inaccuracies and awkward phrasings, notably 'Manhattan comprising of' (missing auxiliary or incorrect participle usage) and 'shrinked'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while complex structures are attempted, they frequently contain errors. Communication is not impeded, but the density of errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. This performance aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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