Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The given tables show the variations in the overall population of New York City and in its five districts: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, there was a substantial increase in total population of New York City. However, various trends can be seen at district level. In 1800 and 1900 Manhattan district occupied a large percentage of population, which decreased dramatically in 2000. While the population in other four districts increased overtime.

In 1800 the population of New York City was 79,216, out of which a large portion (76%) was living in Manhattan, while only 16 percent was in the other four districts. The population of this city increased by a huge surge in 1900 reaching 3,437,202. The percentage of Manhattan decreased to 54%, while the percentage of other districts increased to 46%.

In 2000, the overall population was almost triple to 8,009,185. On the other hand, the percentage of people living in Manhattan dramatically fell to 19%. In contrast, other districts contributed to 81% of total population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarising the overall population trends of New York City and breaking down the data for Manhattan and the other four districts across the three provided years (1800, 1900, and 2000). A clear overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the main trends of a rising total population, a massive initial dominance by Manhattan followed by its sharp proportional decline, and the steady growth of the other four districts. Key figures are correctly selected and compared, such as the total populations (79,216 to 8,009,185) and the shifting percentage shares (e.g., Manhattan dropping from 76% to 19%). The response meets all task requirements thoroughly and accurately without any major omissions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paraphrase, moves into a well-crafted overview paragraph, and then breaks down the specific data chronologically into body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Overall', 'In 1800', 'While', and 'In contrast'. Paragraphing is handled appropriately, with each paragraph serving a distinct and logical function. Referencing is generally clear, though minor improvements in linking phrases could make the transitions even smoother. Overall, the structural flow supports clear communication of the visual data.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, successfully employing terms such as 'variations', 'substantial increase', 'dramatically fell', and 'contributed to'. There are some minor lexical inaccuracies or awkward phrasings, such as writing 'the population in other four districts increased overtime' (should be 'over time') and 'population of this city increased by a huge surge' (which is slightly unnatural collocation). However, the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the trends precisely, and these minor flaws do not impede communication, placing the response solidly in the band 6.5 to 7 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses and comparative constructions (e.g., 'While the population in other four districts increased overtime' and 'out of which a large portion was living in Manhattan'). There are a few grammatical slips and punctuation errors present, such as omitting the article in 'in other four districts' (should be 'in the other four districts'), a minor comma splice or missing preposition in 'almost triple to 8,009,185', and the incorrect single word 'overtime' instead of 'over time'. Nevertheless, the majority of sentences are grammatically sound and communication is never impeded.

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

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