Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)
The following tables show the changes of population in New York City and its five districts in three different centuries.
Overall, New York's population has increased noticeably from 1800 to 2000. Manhattan is the most populated district of the city having the total population higher than other four districts combined till 1900.
Population of the New York city had a great rise as it went from 79,216 in 1800 to almost 3.5 million and the rise continued by reaching 8 million in 2000 in five total districts.
Manhattan had the majority chunk of New York's population, 76% of New Yorkers lived in Manhattan in 1800. However, this percentage had a significant downward trend in the coming centuries as it went to 54% in 1900 and finally collapsing to 19% on 2000. Meanwhile, districts apart from Manhattan had just the 24% of the total of New York's population in 1800 but it went up sharply over the years as it got to 46% in 1900 before reaching its peak of 81% in 2000.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview and selecting key features from the provided tables. The response correctly tracks the overall population growth of New York City from 1800 to 2000 and compares Manhattan with the other districts combined. However, there is a minor misstatement in the introduction where the student mentions three different centuries instead of three specific years across two centuries. Despite this slight slip, the key data points, such as the 1900 and 2000 population figures and percentage shifts, are accurately reported and supported with relevant figures from the data. This satisfies the requirements for a Band 7.0 performance.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with a brief introduction and overview paragraph, followed by detailed body paragraphs examining the total population and district breakdowns respectively. Cohesive devices are used adequately to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'Meanwhile'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different analytical themes. Although the logical flow is mostly clear, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, placing this response firmly at a Band 7.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate and mostly precise range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, employing terms such as 'noticeably', 'downward trend', 'significant', and 'peak'. Less common lexical items are attempted, such as 'majority chunk' and 'collapsing', though 'majority chunk' is slightly informal in tone and 'collapsing to 19% on 2000' contains a minor preposition error ('in 2000'). Overall, the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the information effectively, earning a Band 6.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and comparative constructions ('Manhattan had the majority chunk...', 'districts apart from Manhattan had just the 24%...'). There are some minor grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'changes of population' instead of 'changes in population' and 'collapsing to 19% on 2000' instead of 'in 2000'. However, these errors are infrequent and do not impede communication, allowing the response to secure a Band 6.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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