Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The first table below shows changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000, while 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.

Overall, for New York City, 2000 accounted for the largest share, whereas 1800 recorded the lowest share. As for Manhattan as a percentage (%0) of total population, 1800 registered the highest figure, while 2000 accounted for the lowest share. Regarding other districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) for population, 2000 represented the highest figure, whereas 1800 had the lowest figure.

Looking first at New York City, the year 2000 occupied the top position, at around 8,009,185 people, followed by the year 1900, whose figure stood at approximately 3,437,202 people, whereas the year 1800 accounted for the smallest share, at 79,216 people.

Turning to Manhattan, the year 1800 registered the lowest figure, at around 60,515 people (76% of the total), with the year 2000 at approximately 1,538,096 people (19% of the total), while the year 1900 ranked first, at around 1,850,093 people (54% of the total).

As for other districts, the figures for the year 2000, the year 1900, and the year 1800 stood at around 6,471,089 (81% of the total) people, 1,587,109 people (46% of the total), and 18,701 people (24% of the total), respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing data for both the total population of New York City and the breakdown across the five districts for the years 1800, 1900, and 2000. Key features and comparisons are correctly highlighted, such as the massive population growth from 79,216 to over 8 million, and the dramatic shift in population share between Manhattan and the other districts over the two-century span. The figures cited are accurate and correspond directly to the provided data. However, the introductory overview paragraph is somewhat mechanical and repetitive in its phrasing ('accounted for the largest share', 'recorded the lowest share'), which prevents it from reaching a higher level of fluency and integration.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear progression from an introduction and a general overview to detailed body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overall city trends from the district-specific data. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the statistics, such as 'Looking first at', 'Turning to', and 'As for'. However, the cohesion occasionally feels formulaic and repetitive, particularly in the overview section where transitions and descriptions follow a rigid template. Referencing and logical sequencing remain clear throughout, ensuring the reader can easily follow the comparisons made across time periods and locations.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, successfully employing terms like 'population', 'districts', 'percentage', 'share', and 'figure'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with reasonable success, such as 'occupied the top position' and 'registered'. However, there is noticeable repetition of basic verbs and nouns (e.g., 'figure', 'share', 'accounted for'), and a typographical error in the overview ('%0') indicates a lack of careful proofreading. While precise enough to communicate the data effectively, the lexical range lacks the variety and sophistication required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'followed by the year 1900, whose figure stood at...'). Grammatical control is generally good, with many error-free sentences, particularly when handling complex noun phrases and lists of statistics. Punctuation is handled reasonably well, and errors are rare and do not impede communication. The writer demonstrates good control over tense and number agreement when reporting historical census data across multiple centuries.

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