Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-05

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 initial tables shows us the total number of people living in New York from the 18th century to the 20th century. The following tables tell us about the population distribution in the six districts of New york city over the same period of time.

From the first table, it can clearly be inferred that New York's population grew drastically during the two centuries. The second table shows how Manhattan's population initially grew in large numbers, but then declined. The final table demonstrates how the remaining districts population grew significantly and captured the major share of New York's total population.

During the year 1800, New York city had a meagre population of around 80,000 people. That number then increased by around 50 times over the span of the next century. The following hundred years saw New York's population more than double. In the year 1800 around three quarters of New York's population lived in Manhattan, this number gradually declined over the next hundred years to just slightly above 50 percent. During the 20th Century this number dramatically reduced to just 19 percent.

The final table allows us to understand that most people coming to live in New York were living in the other districts. Initially in 1800, approximately 19000 people lived in these districts. This number grew by almost 100 times in the next century. These districts further saw the population to rise to around six and a half million in the year 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt by presenting an overview of the total population changes alongside specific details regarding Manhattan and the other districts. The selection of main features is mostly accurate, noting the massive growth of New York and the shifting proportions between Manhattan and the surrounding areas. However, the response exhibits some minor inaccuracies and under-developed points. For instance, the opening paragraph incorrectly refers to 'six districts' instead of five, and mentions the 18th century instead of the 19th. Additionally, the description of population figures, such as stating that the initial 1800 population for other districts was 19,000 instead of the exact 18,701, is acceptable for a summary, but certain trends like the specific trajectory of Manhattan could have been extended further to reach a higher band. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, balancing general overviews with relevant data points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a clear, coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas from the broader city-wide trends down to specific district comparisons. Information is divided into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and subsequent body paragraphs dedicated to different tables. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the data, such as 'From the first table', 'During the year 1800', and 'The final table allows us to understand'. Nevertheless, cohesion occasionally feels slightly mechanical or formulaic, and referencing can be repetitive. To achieve a higher band, the transitions between sentences and paragraphs would need to be smoother and more sophisticated, avoiding formulaic signposting while maintaining an effortless flow of information throughout the response.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, successfully conveying numerical changes and proportions with terms such as 'drastically', 'meagre', 'gradually declined', and 'dramatically reduced'. The student demonstrates an attempt to use less common vocabulary and synonyms to describe trends rather than merely repeating numbers. However, there are some minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as referring to the 1800s as 'the 18th century' and inaccurately stating there are 'six districts' instead of five. Spelling and word-choice errors are occasional and do not impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the intended data reporting easily. Incorporating more precise academic collocations would elevate this criterion further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over past tense narrative structures necessary for historical data. Examples of well-formed complex structures include 'The second table shows how Manhattan's population initially grew in large numbers, but then declined' and 'In the year 1800 around three quarters of New York's population lived in Manhattan, this number gradually declined over the next hundred years'. There are some grammatical errors and punctuation slips present, such as comma splices in compound relationships and minor preposition or article inconsistencies (e.g., 'New york city' lacking proper capitalization and article omission). However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, reflecting a solid mix of structures characteristic of this level of performance.

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

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