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 table illustrates the changes in the total population of New York city from 1800 to 2000, while the second table compares the difference in the population of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island over the same period.

Overall, the population of New York increased dramatically over the period. Although Manhattan continued the majority of city's population in 1800 and 1900, it share declined considerably by 2000, while the other four districts experienced substantial growth.

In 1800, New York City had a population of 79,216. This figure rose sharply to 3,437,202 in 1900, before more than doubling to 8,009,185 in 2000. Therefore, Manhattan accounted for 60,515 residents in 1800, representing 76% of the city's total population. Its population increased significantly to 1,850,093 in 1900, although its proportion fell to 54%.

In contrast, by 2000, Manhattan's populatiuon had decreased slightly to 1,538,096, accounting for only 19% of the city residents. Lastly, the combined population of Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island rose dramatically from just 18,701 in 1800, than rise 46% to 1,587,109 and in 2000 there's a huge rise impact around 81% 6,471,089.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview of the population trends and specific data points for both total population and district breakdowns. Key features are successfully identified and compared, such as the dramatic overall increase and the shifting proportion of Manhattan versus the other districts. For instance, the student correctly notes that Manhattan accounted for 76% of the population in 1800 but declined to 19% by 2000. However, there are minor lapses in precision, particularly in the final sentence where the phrasing becomes slightly confusing ('than rise 46% to 1,587,109 and in 2000 there's a huge rise impact around 81% 6,471,089'). Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of Task Achievement well, earning a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall organization, starting with a well-formulated introduction and a distinct overview paragraph. Information is logically sequenced from general totals to specific district data. Cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'In contrast', and 'Lastly' are used to guide the reader through the data, demonstrating a clear structure. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction/overview from the body details. However, cohesion becomes slightly clunky and repetitive towards the end, particularly in the final sentence where the transition between clauses breaks down grammatically. Despite this minor flaw, the logical progression is maintained throughout, fitting the Band 7 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for Task 1, employing terms such as 'dramatically', 'substantial growth', 'proportion', and 'residents'. Less common phrases are attempted with varying degrees of success; while words like 'considerably' and 'significantly' are used accurately, there are noticeable lexical and spelling inaccuracies towards the end, such as 'populatiuon' and the awkward collocation 'huge rise impact'. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main trends clearly without impeding communication, aligning comfortably with a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, utilizing subordinate clauses effectively in places, as seen in 'Although Manhattan continued the majority of city's population in 1800 and 1900, its share declined considerably by 2000'. There are several grammatical errors scattered throughout the text, including article omissions ('continued the majority of city's population' instead of 'accounted for the majority') and severe structural breakdown in the final sentence ('than rise 46%... there's a huge rise impact'). While simple sentences tend to be accurate, complex structures contain frequent errors. This performance is characteristic of Band 5.5.

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