Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-22

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 given tables shows the growth of population over the years in New York City, Further explanation is given for all districts. The population increased rapidly in New York and other districts wheareas, in Manhattan the population increased first and then decreased. Although, the population increased significantly in Manhattan between 1800 and 1900 but the propotion of total population showed a decline.

In New York City, all five districts showed an upward trend for population over the years ranging from 1800 to 2000. As the population increased dramaticallly from 79,000 to 8,009,185.

The second table illustrates the population increase and percentage of total population in Manhattan which is the district of New York City. It showed a considerable increase in the population from 1800 to 1900 but the propotion of total population declined from 76 percent to 54 percent. In the year 2000, it again declined drastically and percentage dropped to 19 percent.

The third table illustrates other districts of New York City except Manhattan. It included Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. These districts showed a dramatic increase in the population over the years with a significant increase in propotion as well. The percentage increased from 24 percent to 81 percent from the year 1800 to 2000. The population increased from 18,701 to 6,471,089.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task well by reporting the main features of the population changes in New York City and its districts from 1800 to 2000. You correctly highlight the overall upward trend for the city, the contrasting trend in Manhattan (initial increase followed by a decrease in population and a sharp drop in percentage), and the massive growth in the other districts. Data from the tables is used effectively to support your points, such as citing the overall population growing from 79,216 to 8,009,185 and noting the shift in percentages between Manhattan and the other districts. The overview is integrated well into the introduction and body paragraphs. To reach a higher band, ensure greater precision in reading figures, as you wrote '79,000' instead of '79,216', and make sure all comparative statements are fully contextualised.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall progression and logical organisation. The information is divided into paragraphs appropriately, starting with an introduction, followed by an overview of the city-wide trend, a detailed look at Manhattan, and finally a discussion of the other districts. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'In New York City', 'The second table illustrates', and 'The third table illustrates'. However, there are some minor mechanical issues with cohesion and referencing, such as starting a sentence with 'As the population increased dramaticallly' after a full stop, which creates a sentence fragment. Additionally, transitions between ideas could be smoother to avoid a slightly formulaic structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating an attempt to use less common items such as 'propotion', 'dramatically', 'considerable increase', and 'upward trend'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('dramaticallly', 'propotion') and minor lexical inaccuracies. Some phrasing is repetitive, such as relying heavily on variations of 'population increased' and 'table illustrates'. While the range is sufficient to communicate the main trends clearly, the presence of spelling mistakes and lack of sophisticated lexical control prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. You successfully employ complex structures such as 'Although, the population increased significantly in Manhattan between 1800 and 1900 but the propotion of total population showed a decline' (though this contains a redundant pairing of 'Although' and 'but'). There are several punctuation and grammatical errors, notably sentence fragments like 'As the population increased dramaticallly from 79,000 to 8,009,185' and subject-verb agreement issues ('The given tables shows'). Despite these errors, meaning is rarely impeded, and the majority of simple sentences are accurate.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.