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 three tables illustrate the total population growth of New York City and the percentage distribution across its five districts from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, the projection of across three different centuries shows drastic population increases throughout different timeframes across New York City, whereas Manhattan's trend depicts a similar comparison.

For New York City, the population was 79,216 in 1800, which witnessed a dramatic increase of roughly 3,350,000 in 100 years. Subsequently, this trend experienced a very huge, dramatic increase to 8,008,185 in 2000; this particular time period recorded its highest record of population growth.

Regarding the other 5 different districts of the city like Manhattan, it had a rough population of 60,515 in 1800, and for the other 4 districts, this figure was 18,701. After a century, this record significantly accounted for 1,850,093 and 1,587,109, which was merely 54% and 46% of the total population of Manhattan and its surrounding districts, respectively. In 2000, this figure marked up to 19% and 81%, recording 1,538,096 and 6,471,089.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of population change in New York City and making relevant comparisons between Manhattan and the other districts across the specified years (1800, 1900, and 2000). Key data points from the tables are accurately cited, such as the overall figures and the percentage shifts over time. An overview is present at the beginning, noting the overarching growth trends. However, the expression in the overview is slightly convoluted ('the projection of across three different centuries shows...'), and the student confuses the classification of districts by referring to Manhattan as one of 'the other 5 different districts'. Despite minor descriptive awkwardness, the core data selection and comparison meet the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0, and the response covers the task well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organised, following a clear progression from the overall introduction to specific data points for the city, and finally breaking down the district-level statistics. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas (e.g., 'Overall', 'Subsequently', 'Regarding the other'), though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and body details. Referencing is mostly clear, although the sentence structure occasionally muddles the relationships between groups of data, such as the mix-up in grouping Manhattan with 'the other 5 different districts'. Overall arrangement is coherent, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, attempting functional phrases such as 'percentage distribution', 'dramatic increase', and 'significantly accounted for'. However, there are instances of lexical inaccuracy and awkward collocation, such as 'highest record of population growth' instead of 'peak population' or 'highest population', and 'this figure marked up to 19%'. Furthermore, the phrase 'Regarding the other 5 different districts of the city like Manhattan' contains a logical contradiction since Manhattan is one of the five districts, not separate from them. These vocabulary lapses limit the score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases (e.g., 'In 2000, this figure marked up...'). There are, however, several noticeable grammatical slips and awkward phrasings, such as 'the projection of across three different centuries shows', which contains a redundant preposition. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and errors in grammar do not impede overall communication. Because complex structures are attempted but sometimes result in faulty syntax, the performance aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor.

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