Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

The tables illustrate changes in the total population of New York City and its five boroughs between 1800 and 2000.

Overall, New York City experienced remarkable population growth, rising from a relatively small population in 1800 to around 8 million by 2000. Manhattan was the dominant borough initially, but its relative importance declined as the outer boroughs expanded rapidly.

In 1800, Manhattan accounted for almost the entire population of the city, while Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island had comparatively small populations. Over the following decades, however, Brooklyn grew particularly rapidly, becoming one of the city's major population centres. The Bronx and Queens also recorded substantial increases, especially during the twentieth century.

By 2000, the population was distributed far more widely across the five boroughs. Manhattan remained highly populated, but Brooklyn and Queens had larger populations, while the Bronx also contained a significant share. Staten Island continued to be the least populous borough, despite considerable growth over the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarizing the main features of the population changes in New York City and its districts between 1800 and 2000. An appropriate and clear overview is provided, noting the dramatic overall growth and the shift in dominance from Manhattan to the outer boroughs. Key data points and proportions, such as Manhattan accounting for 76% initially and dropping to 19%, are reflected through accurate qualitative descriptions, though including a few more specific figures from the tables would have strengthened the response further. However, all selected features are fully supported by the visual data, resulting in a well-developed and accurate task response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is organized logically with a clear progression from introduction to overview, body paragraphs detailing general trends, and a concluding summary of the final distribution. Paragraphing is used effectively, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the visual data. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 1800', 'however', and 'By 2000' are employed naturally to guide the reader through the chronological changes and geographical comparisons without feeling mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary suited to an academic report. Phrases such as 'remarkable population growth', 'dominant borough', 'relative importance declined', and 'distributed far more widely' show good control of collocation and topic-specific terminology. There are no noticeable lexical errors or inappropriate word choices, allowing the message to be communicated with precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

A good variety of complex and compound sentence structures is used throughout the text, such as 'Manhattan was the dominant borough initially, but its relative importance declined as the outer boroughs expanded rapidly.' The majority of sentences are completely error-free, demonstrating strong control over grammatical forms, tense consistency, and punctuation. Any minor slips are non-systematic and do not impede the reader's understanding.

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

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