Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The first provided table illustrates the total population of New York City between 1800 and 2000. The other two tables shows the change in population in five districts of the city which includes Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island in same period of time.

Overall, it can be observed that there is a drastic increase in population in all the districts combined. At first Manhattan holded the most percentage of total population which decreased over the period of time. However, the population in other four districts grew with the passage of time.

If we look at first table, in 1800 population in New York City was 79,216 which grew rapidly over the next century and reached 3,437,202 in 1900. In 2000 population reached 8,009,185 . If we look at the share of Manhattan in this population, it reduced from 76% which were 60,515 people in 1800 to just 19% which is 1,538,096 in 2000. The share was slightly above 50% in 1900.

Third tables tells the percentage of people in other four districts over the same period of time. In 1800 it was 24% and it increased rapidly over the next two centuries and reached 81% in 2000 which is 6,471,089 population. The percentage was slightly less than 50% in 1900.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt by presenting an overview and reporting the key data from the tables, including the total population figures and the proportional shifts in Manhattan versus the other four districts. The student selects relevant features, such as the initial dominance of Manhattan in 1800 at 76 percent and its subsequent decline to 19 percent by 2000, alongside the dramatic growth of the other districts. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or repetitive in their structure, such as the handling of the percentages in the final paragraphs. To reach a higher level, the response would need to integrate the data more fluidly and provide a more thorough analysis of the specific figures without relying on repetitive reporting patterns.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical progression, moving from an introduction and general overview into detailed paragraphs for the tables. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the visual data. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'If we look at first table', and 'However' are employed to guide the reader through the text, though some referencing and transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. For instance, starting multiple sentences with 'If we look at' detracts from the fluency of the writing. Better integration of cohesive links and more varied transitional phrases would enhance the overall flow and elevate this criterion further.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, successfully conveying trends and numerical data with words like 'drastic increase', 'rapidly', and 'proportion'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but these are occasionally paired with awkward word choices or forms, such as 'holded' instead of 'held' and referencing 'Third tables' instead of the third table. Spelling is mostly accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication. To achieve a higher score, the student should expand their range of functional academic vocabulary and ensure greater precision in word forms and collocations when describing statistical changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, with correct use of past tenses for historical data and relative clauses. There are some noticeable grammar errors, particularly verb form mistakes like 'The other two tables shows' instead of 'show', and minor punctuation oversights, such as missing commas after introductory phrases. However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the statistical points easily. Greater control over subject-verb agreement and a wider variety of complex sentence structures used with higher accuracy would help push this criterion into the higher band.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.