Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-17
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 7.0)
The first table illustrates variation in total populus of New York during two centuries, from 1800 to 2000. The next two given tables represent population changes across five districts namely Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens ans Staten Island, during same period of time.
Overall, total number of citizens in New York increased over the given consecutive years. Moreover, manhattan observed a increase in its population from 1800 to 1900 and then an decline from 1900 to 2000, whereas for other four districts the figures rose significantly. Moreover, share of total population dropped for Manhattan while increased for rest districts.
The total population of New York city was 79,216 in 1800 which increased to 3,437,202 in 1900. There was a further increase in the figures in 2000, reaching 8,009,185. Considering Manhattan, population first increased from 60,515 in 1800 to 1,850,093 in 1900 and then went down to 1,538,096 in 2000. Furthermore, Manhattan constituted maximum proportion, nearly 76%, of total population of the city in 1800 which noticeably dropped to 54% in 1900 and finally 19% in 2000.
Other four districts observed a considerable surge in their population rising from 18,701 to 1,587,109 to 6,471,089 during years 1800 to 1900 to 2000 respectively. Their share of population also boosted 24% to 81% over the mentioned years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an effective overview of the main trends and reporting the relevant data accurately. The response highlights both the overall population growth in New York City and the contrasting trajectory of Manhattan compared to the other four districts. Key figures from the tables are appropriately selected and cited to support the descriptions, such as the total population changing from 79,216 in 1800 to 8,009,185 in 2000, and Manhattan's percentage drop from 76% to 19%. The main features are clearly identified without unnecessary listing of every single data point, meeting the requirements of Task Achievement at a high level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5
The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph paraphrasing the prompt, followed by a concise overview paragraph that captures the primary trends. Body paragraphs are then dedicated to specific data points: paragraph three details the total population and Manhattan's figures, while paragraph four addresses the remaining districts. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'whereas', and 'Furthermore' are used effectively to link ideas, although paragraphing could be slightly tighter. Referencing is generally clear throughout.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to an Academic Task 1 response, employing terms such as 'fluctuation', 'proportion', 'considerable surge', and 'constituted'. However, there are a few lexical errors and typos, such as writing 'populus' instead of 'population', 'ans' instead of 'and', and 'an decline' instead of 'a decline'. Despite these minor flaws, the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the trends clearly, allowing the reader to follow the descriptions without significant difficulty.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
The student exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses and comparative structures. There are several grammatical inaccuracies and missing articles, such as 'manhattan observed a increase' (an increase), 'other four districts' (the other four districts), and 'rest districts' (the rest of the districts). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while these errors persist, they do not impede communication or obscure the meaning of the data presented.
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