Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-29

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 provided tables illusttates the demographic expansion of New York City from 1800 to 2000, alongside a monumental geographic shift in its population destribution across the five cities, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island over the same period.

Overall, the total population of New York City exploded over the 200 year window, growing from under 80000 residents to over 8 million. While, initially Manhattan held an overwhelming majority in a city inhabitants, furthermore the outer distracts absorbed nearly all subsequent long-term growth.

New York City experience the significance growth of population in 19 century. Between 1800 to 1900 the total population grew more then 40-fold, climbing from 79,216 to 3,437,202. Though the growth rate slowed in the 20 century, the population more then doubled between 1900 and 2000 to peak at 8,009,185.

Manhattan was the primary hub, 76% of the city's total population 60,515 residents compared to just 24% 18,701 residents spread across the othe four distracts. While manhattan population expanded significantly to 1,850,093, its total share dropped to 54%, Concurrently the combined population of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island skyrocketed to 1,587,109 commanding 46% of the city. • Manhattan's population actually declined to 1,538,096, reducing its citywide share to just 19%. Conversely, the outer districts swelled to an overwhelming 6,471,089 residents, accounting for 81% of all New Yorkers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of both the overall New York City population growth and the shifting distribution across Manhattan and the outer districts from 1800 to 2000. Key data points, such as the 1800, 1900, and 2000 figures and percentages, are correctly cited and compared. A clear overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting the explosive overall growth and the demographic shift away from Manhattan. Although there is a stray bullet point formatting error in the final paragraph, the response meets all core Task Achievement requirements and presents a well-supported, accurate summary of the provided visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is organized logically into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to different time periods and regional shifts. Progression is generally clear throughout the essay. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'While, initially', and 'Conversely'. However, paragraphing and referencing are occasionally flawed; for instance, the final paragraph contains an intrusive bullet point symbol ('•') that disrupts the flow, and some transitional phrases are awkward, such as starting a clause with 'While, initially Manhattan held'. Nevertheless, the overall arrangement is coherent, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, employing terms such as 'demographic expansion', 'monumental geographic shift', 'exploded', and 'skyrocketed'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('illusttates', 'destribution', 'distracts' instead of districts, 'significance' instead of significant) and occasional word-form inaccuracies ('a city inhabitants'). While the writer attempts less common lexical items, these errors and slight imprecisions in word choice limit the score to a Band 6, though communication is never impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordinate clauses ('While, initially Manhattan held an overwhelming majority...', 'Between 1800 to 1900 the total population grew...'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several punctuation and structural errors, including comma splices and missing prepositions (e.g., 'New York City experience the significance growth', 'more then' instead of 'more than', and missing verbs or awkward phrasing in sentences like 'Manhattan was the primary hub, 76% of the city's total population 60,515 residents'). These errors occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching a higher band.

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