Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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)

November

The first table illustrates changes in the total population of New York, and the data in the second and third table represents changes in population from 1800 to 2000.

Overall the most noticeable feature is that changes in the total population and in other four districts accounted for higher proportion in 2000 while in Manhattan population decreased in 2000 wherease increased in 1800 followed by 1900.

The total population of New York city had increased significantly from 1800 to 2000 while in Manhattan population was 76% in 1800 which then reduced to 54% in 1900 and adversely decreased to 19% by 2000.

Moreover in other four districts of New York population substantially increased from 1800 to 2000.

In 1800 the proportion of total inhabitants accounted for 24%.However this figure marginally rose to 46% in 1900 and to 81% by 2000.

In contrast Manhattan constituted more population in years of 1800 and 1900 while other four districts had more proportion of population by 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the total population and comparing Manhattan with the other four districts across the years 1800, 1900, and 2000. An overview is present at the beginning, noting the contrasting trends between Manhattan and the other districts. Key data points, such as Manhattan dropping from 76% to 19% and the other districts rising from 24% to 81%, are correctly selected and reported. However, the explanation is slightly repetitive in places, and some phrasing regarding the trends is a bit clumsy (e.g., 'adversely decreased'). Overall, it meets the requirements for Band 6.5, leaning towards Band 7 for covering the visual data effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is arranged with a clear structure, starting with an introductory paraphrase, followed by an overview paragraph, and then body paragraphs detailing the specific data. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moreover', 'In 1800', and 'In contrast', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas about the total population, Manhattan, and the other districts. While the progression is generally logical, the lack of sophisticated paragraph linking and some abrupt shifts between sentences prevent it from reaching a higher band. Cohesion is adequate and supports a Band 6.5 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'proportion', 'inhabitants', 'significantly', and 'substantially'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'adversely decreased' instead of 'steadily decreased' or 'sharply declined'. Furthermore, some phrases are repetitive, such as the frequent repetition of 'population' and 'other four districts'. The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main points clearly, but errors in collocation and word choice keep the lexical score at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The total population of New York city had increased significantly from 1800 to 2000 while in Manhattan population was...' There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, including missing articles (e.g., 'in second and third table', 'in Manhattan population'), spelling and phrasing errors (e.g., 'wherease' instead of 'whereas'), and a missing period before 'However'. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a Band 7.0. A score of 6.0 reflects this mix of structures and persistent errors.

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

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