Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-28
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 illustrate population growth of New York City from 1800 to 2000. The second and third tables give information about the population change in the five districts of the city (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) over the same period.
Overall, the population of New York City substantially increased throughout the time period. However, Manhattan district experienced greater population increment in 1800 and 1900. Whereas other districts relatively contributed more in population growth as compare to Manhattan in 2000.
As far as Manhattan district is concerned, it recorded the population of 60,515 in 1800, although the number becomes more than thrice that is 1,850,093 in 1900 but the growth in population eventually descend to 1,538,096 in 2000.
On the other hand, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island districts faced severly low population growth of only 18,701 in 1800 but then dramatically witnessed high population of 1,587,109 in 1900 and 6,471,089 in 2000 which is 81% of total population while remaining proportion belongs to Manhattan district that is 19%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the population changes in New York City and its five districts from 1800 to 2000. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the overall growth and the shifting distribution between Manhattan and the other districts. Key data points, such as the total populations and percentages, are accurately cited from the tables (e.g., Manhattan holding 76% in 1800 down to 19% in 2000, and the other districts surging to 81%). The data selection is well-balanced and directly answers the prompt requirements without major omissions or inaccuracies.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The text is logically organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the specific data. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'However', 'Whereas', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or abrupt, such as 'the number becomes more than thrice that is 1,850,093', which disrupts the flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and specific group comparisons, ensuring clear logical progression throughout the response.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'substantially increased', 'increment', and 'dramatically witnessed'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors that prevent a higher score, such as 'greater population increment' instead of 'growth', 'growth in population eventually descend' (incorrect verb form and collocation), and 'severly low population growth' (severely is misspelled and misused in this context). Despite these inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main statistical trends clearly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in structure. However, grammatical errors are frequent enough to affect precision. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues and tense inconsistencies, such as 'The first table illustrate' (should be 'illustrates'), 'the number becomes more than thrice' (tense shift in past-focused data), and awkward phrasing like 'which is 81% of total population while remaining proportion belongs to Manhattan district that is 19%'. Punctuation and article usage also need refinement. These errors do not impede overall communication but lower the score for grammatical accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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