Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-30

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 three tables demonstrate variations in the overall population of an American city and districts from 1800 to 2000. The first table illustrates the data of New York City population. Whereas the second and third tables provide the data of population changes among five districts of the city including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island over the time period of two centuries.

The fisrt table indicates that overall population of New York City including all five districts increased significantly within 200 years. The total population of the city was 79,216 in the year of 1800 which rose dramatically to 8,009,185 after 2 centuries.

Moreover, the second table provides the total ratio of population development for Manhattan over the time period of two hundred years. In 1800, Manhattan contributed 76% of the total ratio of population which inclined significantly to 19% of the overall population in 2000. On the other hand, the population of other four districts of the country rose prominently over the same period of time. The other four districts of the city had only 24% of the total contribution to the total population in 1800 while in 2000, they demonstrated significant increase in the population till 2000, recording 81% of the total population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features from the three tables, including the total population changes and the district breakdown. An overview is present, and key figures—such as the growth from 79,216 in 1800 to over 8 million in 2000, and the shift in Manhattan's percentage from 76% to 19%—are accurately cited. However, there is a noticeable error in the third paragraph where the student describes Manhattan's proportion as having "inclined significantly to 19%", which misuses the vocabulary word (it actually declined) and misinterprets the trend direction in terms of proportion. Despite this vocabulary slip, the data is generally well-reported and relevant comparisons are made.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised into an introduction, an overview/body paragraph for the city total, and a body paragraph for the district breakdown. Cohesive devices are used adequately to guide the reader through the data, such as "Whereas", "Moreover", and "On the other hand". However, paragraphing and referencing can occasionally feel slightly mechanical. For example, the transition "Moreover, the second table provides..." introduces paragraphs that could be grouped more smoothly. Overall, the logical progression is clear throughout the text, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, including terms like "variations", "overall population", and "prominently". However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations. Most significantly, the student writes that Manhattan's percentage "inclined significantly to 19%", where "inclined" is incorrectly used instead of "declined". Additionally, there is a spelling error in the second paragraph ("fisrt" instead of "first"). While the vocabulary is adequate to convey the general message, these word choice errors limit the score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as introductory subordinate clauses ("Whereas the second and third tables provide..."). Grammatical control is generally decent, with many error-free sentences describing the statistical data. However, there are a few minor grammatical and prepositional awkwardness issues, such as "increase in the population till 2000" rather than "by 2000". Punctuation and sentence boundaries are handled well, and errors do not impede communication, placing the response comfortably in the Band 6.5 range.

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