Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-03
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 depict the variation in overall population of New York city for the years 1800 to 2000. Furthermore, the tables also show the change in population some districts in percentages.
Overall, during the 1800s, population of New York was minimal but by the 2000s it crossed 8 million. Moreover, Manhattan had most of the population in early stages but, by the late 1900s other districts had higher population than Manhattan.
In the 1800s, population had not even crossed a million. However, within a century, over 3 million individuals resided in New York. Eventually, in the 2000 about 8 million people choose New York as their home.
The most populated district of the 1800s was Manhattan with about 60 thousand residents, while for the other districts Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island had only about 18 thousand individuals. The other districts got highly populated in the 1900s with almost 1.5 million people, which for Manhattan was 1.8 million people. However, in the next century, Manhattan's population came down to about 1.5 million residents, while the other districts had almost 81% of the total population of New York.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the overall population changes and the distribution between Manhattan and the other districts across the three given years. An overview is present, highlighting the massive growth from 1800 to 2000 and the demographic shift from Manhattan to the other districts over the century. However, certain parts are slightly under-developed; for example, the specific percentage figures for the earlier years are not fully contrasted, placing the response right on the border of fulfilling higher requirements. The data points cited, such as the 60 thousand residents in Manhattan in 1800 and the 8 million total population in 2000, accurately reflect the source tables.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear separation into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the data. Progression is generally logical as it moves chronologically through the centuries and contrasts the overall figures with district breakdowns. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or slightly faulty, relying on basic connectors like 'Furthermore', 'Overall', and 'However'. Referencing is occasionally repetitive, and paragraphing could be managed more fluidly to link the overarching trends directly with the supporting data, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band level.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and descriptive phrases such as 'variation in overall population', 'minimal', and 'demographic shift' equivalents like 'most populated district'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'choose New York as their home' instead of 'resided in' or 'settled', and minor awkward phrasing like 'change in population some districts'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede overall communication, reflecting a solid, competent handling of the core lexical requirements.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating subordinating clauses such as 'while for the other districts Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island had only about 18 thousand individuals'. There are some noticeable errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles ('New York city' instead of 'New York City', 'population of New York' instead of 'the population'), preposition placement issues ('in the 2000' instead of 'in 2000' or 'by 2000'), and slight agreement slips. These errors rarely impede communication and represent a typical mix of error-prone complex structures characteristic of this level.
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