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 given at the first demonstrates the data about population of New York. The next two tables depicts changes in the population of the five districts of the city.

Overall, the lowest number of people lived in the city in 1800 while the year of 2000 experienced all time high population count. The highest number of individuals lived in Manhattan more than all other districts combined in 1900.

The first table illustrates that the total population surged from 79,216 to 3,437,202 in first hundred years then reached 8,009,185 in 2000.

The second table shows that Manhattan shared 76 percent of total population in 1800. Although the total population increased from 60,515 to 1,850,093 , the district constituted only 54 percent of total population in 1900.

The third table depicts that all the four districts accounted for 24 percent of the total population with 18,701 individuals count, then it surged to 1,587,109 in 1900. 81 percent of the total population lived in the four districts of New York city in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the tables. Key data points such as the initial and final populations, the shift in population percentages between Manhattan and the other districts, and the overall growth are successfully identified and presented. For example, the writer notes that Manhattan accounted for 76 percent of the total population in 1800, which dropped to 19 percent in 2000, while the other districts rose to 81 percent. An overview is present, accurately capturing the general trend of population growth and the shifting distribution between Manhattan and other districts. The response satisfies the requirements for Task Achievement well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph paraphrasing the prompt, followed by a general overview, and then moves into specific body paragraphs detailing each table sequentially. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'The first table illustrates', 'Although', and 'then' are used to connect ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or formulaic. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct parts of the visual data. Referencing is generally clear, aiding the readability of the text throughout the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with attempts to use less common items such as 'surged', 'constituted', and 'accounted for'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing, such as 'The table given at the first demonstrates' instead of 'The first table illustrates', and awkward noun phrasing like 'individuals count' instead of 'population count'. Despite these occasional lexical slips, the vocabulary remains sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer successfully employs complex structures using subordinate clauses, as seen in 'Although the total population increased from 60,515 to 1,850,093 , the district constituted only 54 percent'. There are some minor grammatical errors and awkward prepositions, such as 'at the first' instead of 'firstly' or 'at the outset', and missing articles or spacing issues. However, the majority of sentences are grammatically sound, and errors do not impede communication.

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

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