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 tables illustrates changes in the population of New york city and its five districts (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) in year between 1800 and 2000.
Overall, the highest number of population was recorded in 2000, where Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island contribute the major part of the population. In contrast, the lowest number of population of city was in 1800 and most of it was covered by Manhattan.
New york city has the least number of population in 1800 (79,216). The 76% of people were residing in Manhattan and the 24 % in Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. In Year 1900, 3,437,202 people were living in the city. At that time the highest number of residents was from Manhattan 54% and 46% from the remaining 4 districts. However, the highest number of residents from New york was 8,009,185 in 2000. The 19% of that figure has been covered by people of district Manhattan and the remaining 81% from other districts.
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 candidate has successfully addressed all parts of the task by reporting the main features of New York City's total population and the proportional breakdown of its five districts across the years 1800, 1900, and 2000. An overview is present, highlighting the overall growth and the shifting distribution from Manhattan to the other four districts. Key data points, such as the exact totals and percentages, are accurately cited and compared. The response could have been slightly more concise or detailed in analyzing the trajectory of individual decades, but it adequately fulfills the core requirements of Academic Task 1.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The text is organized into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the specific data. There is a clear logical progression from the earliest year to the latest. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'However' are used appropriately to guide the reader through comparisons. Paragraphing is logical, grouping the overview together and separating the general totals from the specific district percentages. While referencing is mostly clear, a few transitions feel slightly repetitive, but overall progression is maintained throughout.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying statistical trends with terms like 'population', 'districts', 'residents', and 'percentage'. However, there are some awkward lexical choices and repetitions, such as 'number of population' instead of simply 'population', and minor capitalization errors like 'New york city'. While the writer attempts some less common vocabulary ('residing', 'contribute'), the range remains somewhat basic and lacks the flexibility and precision associated with higher bands. Spelling is generally accurate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as introductory prepositional phrases and relative/coordinate clauses ('The tables illustrates...', 'where Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island contribute...'). There are notable grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement ('The tables illustrates') and missing articles ('in year between', 'district Manhattan'). Preposition usage also falters in places ('in year between 1800 and 2000'). However, these errors do not impede overall communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout.
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