Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-18

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 table illustrates changes in the total population of New York and show the population distribution between Manhattan and other four districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, the population of New York city increased dramatically throughout the period. Although, Manhattan was the most populated part in 1800 and 1900, but in 2000 its population considerably declined around 19%. While, other four districts substantially edged up.

In 1800, New York had a total population of 79,216. Manhattan accounted for 60,515 people or 76% of the total. By comparison, other districts such as Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island-contained 18,701 residents or covered 24% of total.

Considering 1900, the city's population rose sharply to 3,437,202. Manhattan growth surged to 1,850,093 but it total proportion fell from 76% to 54%. Whereas, other districts reached 1,587,109 representing 46% of the total.

By 2000, city's population had more than doubled and hit the peak thar was 8,009,185. It is interesting to note that, Manhattan's population dropped slightly to 1,538,096 and its share reduced noticeably to 19%. While, other district's population soared to 6,471, 089 or accounting 81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear overview and reporting the main features of New York City's population changes from 1800 to 2000. Key data points, such as the total population figures and the shifting percentage shares between Manhattan and the other four districts, are accurately cited and compared. For instance, the writer correctly highlights that Manhattan held 76% of the population in 1800 before dropping to 19% in 2000, while other districts rose to 81%. However, there is a slight misinterpretation in the phrasing regarding Manhattan's population in 2000 ('declined around 19%' rather than 'to 19%'), but this minor lapse does not detract from an otherwise well-developed response that covers all visual data effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organised and easy to follow, with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and distinct body paragraphs dedicated to each time period (1800, 1900, and 2000). The student makes use of appropriate cohesive devices and transition signals, such as 'Overall', 'By comparison', and 'By 2000'. Paragraphing is used effectively to group related ideas. However, there are minor issues with punctuation and conjunction use around cohesive structures, such as using 'Although' followed immediately by 'but' in the second paragraph ('Although, Manhattan was the most populated part... but in 2000...'), which slightly disrupts the flow of cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for an Academic Task 1 response, using terms such as 'population distribution', 'proportion', and 'reduced noticeably'. There are some successful attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'substantially edged up' and 'soared'. However, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'Manhattan growth surged' instead of 'Manhattan's population surged' and a comma splice in the final sentence ('6,471, 089 or accounting 81%'). Despite these minor lexical slips, communication remains clear and the vocabulary is sufficient for the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and comparative structures. There are several error-free sentences, particularly when reporting statistics. However, a number of grammatical errors and awkward structures persist throughout the text. Examples include missing articles or prepositions ('city's population had more than doubled'), a flawed concessive structure ('Although, Manhattan was... but in 2000...'), and a typographical error in the number format ('6,471, 089'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, their frequency prevents the response from achieving a higher band.

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

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