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)

There are two tables shown on the left hand side. The first tables draw a comparison on the size of population in New York City from 1800 to 2000 whereas, the other two tables show a distribution of the population in Manhattan versus the other states during the same time period. The second and the third table also contains the percentage of the population the district contained in the respective year.

We can decipher that the population in New York City has been growing almost exponentially. Manhattan accounted for a majority of the percentage of the population in the year 1800 however it reduced in the following two centuries.

Population in New York City has grown from around seventy-nine thousand in 1800 to thirty-four hundred thousand in 1900 preceding to around eighty hundred thousand in 2000, which accounts to a massive exponential increase. Manhattan contributed to 76 percent of the population in year 1800 which dropped to 19 percent in 2000.

The rest of the states had only twenty-four percent of the population in the year 1800 but in 2000 it rose to 81 percent. This clearly tells us that a lot of development has been done in the rest of the states in the 19th and the 20th century and many people decided to move to the other states rather than basing themselves in Manhattan only.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the provided tables. An overview is present, noting the exponential growth of New York City and the shift in population distribution from Manhattan to the other districts. However, some areas are under-developed or less precise. For instance, the student refers to the other districts as 'states' ('the other states during the same time period'), which is factually inaccurate for New York City boroughs. Furthermore, the phrasing 'thirty-four hundred thousand' is unnecessarily awkward and confusing for expressing numbers. While key trends like the 76 percent to 19 percent drop for Manhattan and the rise for the outer districts are highlighted, the support could be extended further to achieve a fully developed response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the answer into logical paragraphs, separating the introduction, overview, and body details. Information is generally sequenced well, moving from total population trends to district-specific breakdowns. However, cohesion is at times faulty or mechanical. For example, expressions like 'preceding to around eighty hundred thousand' disrupt the logical progression and flow. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the ambiguous use of pronouns and the inconsistent terminology used to describe the districts. Paragraphing is used, but transitions between ideas could be managed more smoothly to enhance readability and achieve a more natural progression throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic numbers, percentages, and trends such as 'exponential increase' and 'population distribution'. There are, however, noticeable lexical inaccuracies and inappropriate word choices, such as referring to New York City boroughs as 'states' ('the other states'). Additionally, the phrase 'eighty hundred thousand' represents an awkward lexical formulation. Spelling and word formation are generally clear enough not to impede communication, but attempts at less common vocabulary lack precision. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to demonstrate a more precise and natural control of vocabulary and collocations specific to data-reporting tasks.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as relative clauses and comparative constructions ('whereas, the other two tables show...'). There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, though they rarely impede communication. Examples include awkward phrasing and preposition use in verb forms, such as 'preceding to around eighty hundred thousand' and 'accounts to a massive exponential increase' (where 'accounts for' is standard). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but commas are sometimes misplaced, such as before 'whereas' or after introductory phrases. The majority of simple sentences are clear, but complex structures occasionally contain minor errors.

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