Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-21
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 demonstrates the variations in overall population of the New York City during 1800 to 2000 while the other tables shows the specific variations amongst five different districts.
Overall population of New York City has increased dramatically over the time reaching highest number in 2000 (8,009,185). Meanwhile Manhattan is the only district which has seen significant fall in population .
The pouplation of New York City stared with the numbers 79,216 which kept on increasing upto the total of 8,009,185 in year 2000. The city has overall seen quite a growth in population.
In addition, the five different districts has also gone under major variations in population .Starting of with Manhattan which is a only single district which has faced the significant downfall in numbers of population while the remaining districts have shown clear upscale movement. In 1800 the population of all these four districts was 18,701 (24%) which increased to 3 times more reaching the highest number 6,471,089 (81%).
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers the main features of the data well, noting the overall population growth of New York City from 1800 to 2000 and highlighting the contrast between Manhattan's population shift and the growth in other districts. Key data points such as the initial and final figures are included, along with percentages. However, the explanation regarding Manhattan's trajectory contains some inaccuracies compared to the raw data; Manhattan's population actually increased from 1800 to 1900 before falling in 2000, whereas the student states it faced a 'significant fall' and 'downfall' throughout. Despite this minor misinterpretation of the multi-decade trend, the overview is clear and the main comparisons are present. This performance aligns well with Band 6.0 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response has a coherent overall arrangement with an introductory paragraph, body details, and a concluding synthesis. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Meanwhile', 'In addition', and 'Starting of with', although some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is attempted, though the body is split into several short sections that could be better consolidated for logical flow. Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of smooth linking between sentences prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Overall, the structure is easy to follow, satisfying the requirements for Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'variations', 'dramatically', 'percentage', and 'upscale movement'. However, there are several spelling errors ('pouplation', 'stared', 'upto') and awkward collocations ('gone under major variations', 'clear upscale movement'). Less common lexical items are attempted but occasionally used inaccurately, such as treating 'downfall' as a synonym for population decline in this context. While communication is not impeded, these lexical slips and limitations cap the score at Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and participial phrases ('reaching highest number in 2000', 'Starting of with Manhattan which is a only single district'). There are grammatical errors present throughout, including missing articles ('the New York City' should be 'New York City', 'a only single district' should be 'the only district'), subject-verb agreement issues ('the five different districts has'), and punctuation slips. Nevertheless, the meaning remains clear, and the errors do not impede communication. This balanced profile corresponds to a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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