Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-06

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 given tables illustrates the population of the new york city and its districts that changed significantly from 1800 to 2000. The first table shows the population of New York including all five of its districts. However, the second and third table presents the population rate of the districts.

Overall, in the year 1800, the New Yorks population was 79216, in 1900, it increased to 3,437,202. The significant change in the population in over 100 years is quite prominent. However, in the year 2000, it increased to more than a double from the year 1900, in the year 2000, the population that was quoted was 8,009,185. in over 300 years, there was a rapid growth in the population of the New York.

The district like Manhanttan had over 76% of the entire population of the New york in 1800. In the year 1900 amd 2000, Manhattan carried over 54% and 19% of the New york's population respectively. However, the other districts like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten island had comparatively lesser population than the districts Manhattan. These districts carried over 24% of the population in the year 1800 and in the years 1900 to 2000, these districts respectively contained over 46% and 81% of the population of the New york. Hence, Manhattan had majority of the population and other districts contained lesser percentage of the population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by presenting an overview of the total population changes in New York City alongside specific data for Manhattan versus the other districts. Key features, such as the massive overall growth from 1800 to 2000 and the demographic shift away from Manhattan toward outer districts like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, are accurately reported. However, the development of these ideas varies; while the general trends are clear, some commentary slips into minor generalisations or slight calculation confusion, such as stating 'more than a double' when the population actually more than doubled significantly multiple times. The response meets the requirement for a band 6 by covering all parts of the prompt, but to reach a higher level, the selection and comparison of data points need to be more fully extended and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure by dividing the information into an introduction, an overview of total population growth, and a detailed breakdown of the districts. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the visual data. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the repetitive use of transitional phrases like 'However' and 'in the year 2000'. Referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression within the body paragraphs could be smoother to avoid choppy sentence-by-sentence reporting. To improve further, the writer should employ a wider variety of cohesive devices more flexibly to connect ideas fluidly across sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic statistical concepts and comparisons using terms like 'population', 'districts', 'percentage', and 'growth'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary such as 'prominent', 'respectively', and 'majority'. However, there are notable instances of imprecise word choice and word-form errors, such as 'Manhanttan' (spelling), 'population rate' instead of proportion or percentage, and slight awkwardness in phrasing like 'carried over 54%'. These lexical slips and spelling inaccuracies do not impede communication, placing the response securely in the mid-range. Incorporating more precise, natural collocations and sophisticated academic synonyms will elevate the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordinate clauses and comparative structures. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues present throughout the text, including article misuse ('the new york city', 'the New yorks population', 'the districts Manhattan'), capitalization errors ('Manhanttan', 'New york'), and prepositional inconsistencies. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear and they rarely impede communication. The control over complex structures is still developing, resulting in frequent minor slips in agreement and modifiers. To achieve a higher band, the writer must reduce the frequency of basic grammatical errors and demonstrate better precision in punctuation and article usage across more complex sentences.

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

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