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 table provides data on the overall change in the population of New York City, while the others illustrate the changes across the five districts of the city from 1800 to 2000.
Overall, the New York City accounted for the highest population over the period. The figure for the Manhattan constituted the high percentage in the total population of the city over two centuries, while Brooklyn, Bronx, Queen and Staten Island shared the significant figures by the end of the period.
Looking at the tables in more detail, the population of the New York City increased steadily from 79,216 in 1800, to 3,3437,202 in 1900 and 8,009,185 in 2000. Although Manhattan constituted 76% of the total change to 60,515 population in 1800, it decreased gradually to 54% in 1900 and declined sharply to 19% in 2000.
In contrast, the other districts presented the surge in the change in population from the Manhattan district. The figure was 24% in 1800, grew to 46% in 1900, and dramatically rose to 81% along with 6,471,089 population in 2000. A notable variation is shown between the Manhattan and the other districts in 2000.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarising the overall population trends of New York City and providing detailed comparisons of the five districts (Manhattan versus the other four) across the years 1800, 1900, and 2000. An appropriate overview is included in the second paragraph, highlighting Manhattan's initial dominance and the later shift towards the other districts. Key data points from the tables are accurately selected and reported, such as the total figures and percentage shifts (e.g., Manhattan dropping from 76% to 19%). However, there is a minor transcription error when quoting the 1900 population as '3,3437,202' instead of '3,437,202', and a slight awkwardness in phrasing the population in 1800 ('total change to 60,515 population'). Overall, the response covers all core features well.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is clearly organised into an introduction, an overview, and a detailed body paragraph structure, demonstrating a logical progression of ideas throughout. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to connect contrasting trends, such as 'Overall', 'Looking at the tables in more detail', and 'In contrast'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the macro-level overview from the micro-level data analysis. However, some referencing is slightly clumsy or mechanical, such as 'the other districts presented the surge in the change in population from the Manhattan district', which slightly obscures the precise relationship between the data sets. Nevertheless, the logical flow remains clear and easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to a task 1 response, employing terms such as 'constituted', 'decreased gradually', 'declined sharply', and 'dramatically rose'. There are successful attempts to use less common lexical items related to data description. However, there are some noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies. For instance, writing 'the New York City accounted for the highest population' is unnatural, as is 'presented the surge in the change in population'. Additionally, 'Queen' is used instead of 'Queens'. Despite these errors, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main features clearly and communication is not impeded.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and comparative elements effectively (e.g., 'Although Manhattan constituted 76% of the total change... it decreased gradually'). There are several error-free sentences demonstrating good control. However, grammatical errors occur intermittently, particularly with articles ('the New York City') and prepositions, along with typographical slips in numbers ('3,3437,202'). Furthermore, phrases like 'the total change to 60,515 population' exhibit awkward syntactic structuring. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the essay from achieving a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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