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 first table provides data on the changes in overall population of New York city between 1800 and 2000, while second and third tables illustrate changes in the population of its five districts, namely Manhattan, Brooklyn, the bronx, Queens and Staten Island, throughout the same period.

Overall, the population of New York City increased considerably over the 200-year period. Although Manhattan had the largest population in the earlier years, its population declined towards the end of the period, whereas the other four districts experienced significant growth.

In 1800, the total population of New York city stood at 79,216. This figure rose dramatically to 3,437,202, over the following 100 years, in 1900, before increasing further to 8,009,185 by 2000.

Looking at the individual districts, Manhattan had the highest population in 1800, at 60515 and this figure substantially increased to 1,850,093, in 1900. However, its population then fell to 1,538,096 by 2000. Moreover, the population of other four districts were same , followed up to 18,701, in 1800 and experienced a considerable increase to 1,587,109, by 1900. Overall population of these four districts was 6,471,089, by the end of the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarising the main trends and making relevant comparisons between Manhattan and the other districts from 1800 to 2000. The overview effectively captures the overall population growth of New York City and the shifting dominance from Manhattan to the other four districts. Key data points, such as the overall figures for 1800, 1900, and 2000, are accurately reported and supported with appropriate statistics from the visual data. The response meets the requirements of Task 1 well, providing a clear and well-rounded summary of the provided tables.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organised into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that deal with overall figures and individual districts respectively. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'while', 'although', 'whereas', and 'however'. Paragraphing is appropriate and logical. However, there are some minor cohesive awkwardnesses, such as 'Moreover, the population of other four districts were same , followed up to...', where the referencing and logical connection become slightly clunky and obscure the exact meaning of the comparison. Overall, clear logical progression is maintained throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms like 'considerably', 'declined', 'dramatically', and 'substantially'. There are a few minor lexical and spelling slips, such as lowercasing 'city' and 'the bronx', as well as a slightly unnatural phrasing in 'the population of other four districts were same , followed up to'. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is adequate to convey the data accurately and shows some attempt at less common lexical items appropriate for Academic Task 1.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses introduced by 'while', 'although', and 'whereas'. Grammatical control is generally good, and many sentences are error-free. However, there are some noticeable errors in punctuation and agreement, such as missing articles ('the second and third tables', 'other four districts'), comma splices or unnecessary commas ('1,850,093, in 1900'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('the population of other four districts were same'). These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band.

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