Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

The tables illustrate changes in the total population of New York city along with population distributition across its five districts from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, The population of New York city increased significantly. Manhattan experienced a downward trend, becoming a less populated district. In contrast, the population of other districts increased considerably.

In 1800, the overall population of New York city was just 79,216. Manhattan dominated, accounting for 60,515 people, or 76% of city's population, while the other four boroughs had only 18,701 resident, accounting for only 24%.

In 1900, the total population of New York increased substaintially, with a total of 3,437,202. Both Manhattan and other boroughs grew considerably, about 1,850,093 and 1,587,109, respectively. However, Manhattan share fell to 54% and other districts rise to 46%. By 2000, the city experienced a huge explosion of population, with the total soaring to 8,009,185. Manhattan population actually declined to 1,538,096, and its share total drop dramatically to 19%, whereas other districts experienced a dramatic increased in population, about 6,471,081, accounting for 81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features, selecting appropriate data points, and making relevant comparisons between Manhattan and the other districts from 1800 to 2000. An overview is provided, highlighting the significant overall population growth, Manhattan's downward proportional trend, and the substantial increase in the other districts. Specific figures and percentages are accurately cited from the visual data, such as Manhattan's population in 1800 (60,515 or 76%) and the city's total in 2000 (8,009,185). The information is well-supported and accurate with no major omissions or misinterpretations of the provided data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph paraphrasing the prompt, followed by a clear overview paragraph, and then detailed body paragraphs progressing chronologically through the years 1800, 1900, and 2000. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate general trends from specific data points. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast,' 'while,' 'However,' and 'whereas' are employed effectively to contrast the demographic shifts between Manhattan and the other districts, ensuring seamless transitions throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response. Less common items such as 'distributition' (minor spelling slip), 'substaintially' (spelling slip), 'soaring', 'explosion', and 'proportion' are attempted with general awareness of style and collocation. Word choices like 'dominated', 'accounted for', and 'declined' effectively convey the statistical information. Although there are a few minor spelling errors ('distributition', 'substaintially') and a minor grammatical/lexical slip ('other districts rise'), the lexical range is adequate to convey precise meaning without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses, participial phrases, and comparative structures effectively (e.g., 'Manhattan dominated, accounting for 60,515 people...'). The majority of sentences are grammatically sound and error-free. There are a few isolated errors, such as missing possessive markers ('city's population'), minor spelling/form errors in verbs ('other districts rise' instead of 'rose'), and a slight typo in a figure at the end ('6,471,081' instead of '6,471,089'), but these errors do not impede communication and demonstrate a solid level of overall control.

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