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 provide us the information about the population changes in different districts of New york city for the period of 1800 to 2000. Talking about the first table, it informed us about the commulative population among the district of new york city for the mentioned centuries. In 18th century, the population was relatively less and it stands at 79,216 but it experienced substantial growth in 19th century and reached to almost 3.5 million. Presently, that is 20th century, the population lies in the bracket of 8 million relatively 2.5x of the past century.
The Manhattan tables illustrates the single district population percentage of total population. In 1800, it covers the 76% of the whole population and in figures, it was likely 60 thousand. After a century the number rose to 1.8 million but suprisingly, the percentage dropped to 54% of the total population. Now in 2000s, both the population and percentage experienced the steady decline of 1.5 million and 19% respectively.
On the contrary, other district like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island also provides the suprising information.In 1800, the collective population for the districts were 18000 with the percentage of 24% which gains a significant growth to 1.5 million comprising of 46% of the total population, back in 1900. Over the time, it reached to 6.4 million population with the portion of 81% of the population
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The response covers all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features from the tables, presenting a clear overview of the population trends in New York City and its districts from 1800 to 2000. Key data points such as the total population growth and the shifting percentages between Manhattan and the other districts are accurately reported. However, some aspects are slightly under-developed; for instance, the references to time periods contain minor historical inaccuracies, such as referring to the years 1800 to 1900 as the '18th century' rather than the 19th century. Despite this, the selection of data is relevant and supports a clear comparative overview, successfully bridging into higher band requirements through its comprehensive coverage of the visual data.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The response presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from the total population table to the specific district breakdowns. Information is divided into logical paragraphs, each focusing on a distinct aspect of the visual data. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'Talking about the first table', 'After a century', and 'On the contrary'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally mechanical or slightly repetitive, and paragraph transitions could be smoother. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to employ a wider range of cohesive relationships more naturally without relying on formulaic introductory phrases.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey numerical changes and comparisons effectively. There are successful attempts to use less common vocabulary and phraseology, such as 'substantial growth', 'bracket', and 'collective population'. However, there are noticeable word choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'commulative population', 'The Manhattan tables illustrates', and 'gains a significant growth'. Additionally, spelling contains a minor slip ('suprisingly'). These errors do not impede communication, but they reflect the limitations characteristic of this lexical level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like relative clauses and time adverbials. There is control over basic sentence patterns, but the text contains several grammatical errors in subject-verb agreement and prepositional use, such as 'it informed us', 'the population for the districts were', and 'reached to 6.4 million population'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors in grammar occur throughout, they rarely impede communication. To achieve a higher band, the writer must increase the proportion of error-free complex sentences and ensure greater accuracy in tense consistency and article usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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