Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-02

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 compare the total number of population and corresponding percentage of New York City and its five districts, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island between 1800 and 2000.

Overall, the population of New York City increased over the period, whereas population of Manhattan city declined steadily. In contrast, the population of other four cities surged dramatically throughout the period.

Regarding New York City's population, in 1800, New York City reported 79,216 total population, after which it increased considerably to 3,437,202 in 1900. A decade later, the total population rose to 8,009,185.

Turning to Manhattan city, in 1800, Manhattan stood at 76% of total population and decreased to 54% in 1900 before experiencing sharp drop to 19% of total population. In term of other districts, the population increased continues. In 1800, the population of other cities were 18,701 which roughly 24% of total before rising to 1,587,109 in 1900. By 2000, the population increased to 6,471,089, which roughly 81% of total.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features, trends, and comparisons between the total population of New York City and its districts from 1800 to 2000. An overview is provided at the beginning, noting the general growth of the city alongside the contrasting trend for Manhattan. However, some areas are under-developed or inaccurately described. For instance, the text states that the total population rose 'A decade later' between 1900 and 2000, which is factually incorrect and misinterprets the time span of a century. Additionally, the writing occasionally lapses into treating the districts as individual 'cities' rather than boroughs or districts, indicating that while the task is covered, some ideas and details lack full clarity and precision.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure separating the introduction, overview, total population, and district breakdown. Information and ideas are generally logically sequenced, moving from the macro level of the entire city down to the specific districts. Cohesive devices are used to signal shifts in focus, such as 'Overall,' 'Regarding New York City's population,' and 'Turning to Manhattan city.' However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes mechanical or faulty, as seen in the slightly awkward transitional phrasing ('In term of other districts, the population increased continues') and a lack of smooth connection between certain sentences, preventing the progression from feeling fully natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate main trends using words and phrases like 'surged dramatically,' 'declined steadily,' and 'percentage of total population.' There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, but these are accompanied by noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, form, and collocation. Examples include 'total number of population' instead of 'total population,' referring to Manhattan and other districts as 'cities,' writing 'sharp drop' without an article, and using 'increased continues' instead of 'continued to increase.' There are also minor awkward phrasings like 'which roughly 24% of total,' which show limited lexical precision and occasional errors that slightly impact the fluency of the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, successfully employing relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases (e.g., 'between 1800 and 2000,' 'in 1800, New York City reported...'). However, there are several grammatical errors in punctuation, prepositions, and verb forms. Examples include missing prepositions or auxiliary verbs in relative clauses ('which roughly 24% of total' instead of 'which was roughly 24% of the total'), tense misuse ('the population increased continues'), and minor punctuation omissions. While these errors occur throughout the text, they rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to grasp the intended meaning despite the structural inaccuracies.

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