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 tables explain overall difference in population from time period 1800 to 2000 in the New York City which include five parts of the city and the other two report individually about total strength of people according to the years.

Overall, the first table shows information about increase in population over the centuries from 1800 to 2000 and the remaining two tables gives information about Manhattan and the other four citys capacity by years, population and total percentage. All five districts show a increasing trend starting from 79,216 in the year 1800 to a significant rose in population which represented at 8,009,185 in the year 2000.

While the second table is about Manhattan city showing a decreasing trend in overall population initially at 60,515 in 1800 with 76%, dropped to 54% and later in 2000 at 19%. In comparision the other four districts had dramatic increase in population from 24% in 1800 to 81% in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features from all three tables, including the total population growth of New York City and the breakdown between Manhattan and the other four districts. An overview is present, highlighting the overall increasing trend across the centuries. Key data points are accurately cited, such as the initial population of 79,216 in 1800 rising to 8,009,185 in 2000, and the shift in population percentages from Manhattan to the other districts. While the summary is concise and covers the essential information, the ideas could be slightly more extended to fully achieve a higher band. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of Task Achievement at a solid level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is organized into three paragraphs, featuring a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and a body paragraph comparing the districts. Cohesive devices such as 'While', 'In comparision', and 'Overall' are used to structure the information logically. However, there are minor cohesion and referencing faults, such as the awkward transition in the second paragraph ('remaining two tables gives information about Manhattan and the other four citys capacity'). Paragraphing is generally appropriate, and there is a logical progression of ideas from the total city population down to the specific district comparisons, allowing the reader to follow the argument easily.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'significant rose' (though grammatically flawed) and 'increasing trend'. There are some noticeable lexical and word-choice errors, such as spelling 'citys' instead of 'cities' and using 'strength of people' instead of 'population size'. Furthermore, 'comparision' contains a spelling error. Despite these inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main features of the visual data without severely impeding communication, placing it firmly in the Band 6 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'explain overall difference in population from time period 1800 to 2000 in the New York City which include' (subject-verb agreement issues) and 'a significant rose in population which represented at 8,009,185' (incorrect passive voice and word forms). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but structural inaccuracies persist throughout the text, meaning that error-free sentences are not in the majority.

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

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