Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-01

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 8.0)

The tables provide information about changes in the population of New York City between 1800 and 2000. The first table shows the total population, while the other two compare the population and proportion of residents living in Manhattan and the other four districts.

Overall, the population of New York City increased dramatically over the period. However, Manhattan's share of the city's population declined considerably, while the proportion living in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island rose substantially.

In 1800, New York City had a total population of 79,216, of whom 60,515 (76%) lived in Manhattan. The remaining districts accounted for only 18,701 people, or 24% of the total. By 1900, the city's population had surged to 3,437,202. During this period, Manhattan's population also increased dramatically to 1,850,093, although its share fell to 54%. Meanwhile, the population of the other districts reached 1,587,109, representing 46% of the city's total.

By 2000, the overall population had more than doubled from the 1900 figure, reaching 8,009,185. Interestingly, Manhattan was the only area to experience a population decline, falling to 1,538,096, and its proportion decreased sharply to just 19%. In contrast, the population of the other four districts rose to 6,471,089, accounting for 81% of the city's population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and highlighting the main features and trends of the population changes in New York City and its districts from 1800 to 2000. Data is accurately reported and well-integrated into the text, such as citing the exact figures and percentages for Manhattan and the other districts across the three reference years. The comparison between Manhattan and the rest of the city is effectively executed. To reach the highest band, the analysis could slightly deepen the commentary on the rate of growth or include a broader synthesis of the shifting demographic weight across the entire century, rather than moving strictly chronologically through the data points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8.0

Ideas are logically sequenced, and information flows smoothly from the introduction to the overview and subsequent body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph serving a distinct function. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'In contrast', and 'Meanwhile' are managed well to signal shifts in time and between districts. Referencing is clear throughout the text, ensuring the reader easily follows the comparisons between Manhattan and the other four districts. To achieve an even higher score, the integration of cohesive devices could be even more seamless and unobtrusive, avoiding any mechanical transitions between temporal milestones.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary suited to an academic report. Words and phrases such as 'surged', 'decline considerably', 'proportion', and 'accounted for' show a strong awareness of style and collocation appropriate for describing statistical data. Minor inaccuracies or slips are virtually absent, and less common lexical items are handled with good control. To reach the highest band, the student could employ a slightly wider variety of more sophisticated, nuanced vocabulary and rarer lexical combinations to describe extreme statistical shifts with even greater precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.0

The response exhibits a wide range of grammatical structures, including complex sentences with participial phrases and subordinate clauses ('of whom 60,515 lived in Manhattan', 'although its share fell'). The majority of sentences are entirely error-free, demonstrating a high level of control over verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions. Punctuation is accurate throughout, contributing to the readability of the text. To move even closer to the top tier, the writer could incorporate an even broader mix of advanced syntactic structures, such as inversion or more complex conditional/participial constructions, while maintaining this high level of absolute accuracy.

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