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 tables below indicate changes in the population of New York City and five districts, namely Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island across the years 1800 to 2000.
Overall, the city of New York's population has increased incredibly over the specifc time period. With the population having expanded by more than double during each time period.
As a distrct Manhattan's population has taken a steep decline from a staggering 76% to an extremely low 19% increase in the population over the years. However between the year [redacted phone] there was first an increase in the pupulation from 60,515 to 1,850,093 before decline came into effect.
In contrast, districts such as Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island are observing a tremendous incline in the population over the years with a percentage of 81% being recorded in 2000. This is more than tripple the amount from the year [redacted phone] (46% to 81%).
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the overall population growth and the changes in the districts. However, some aspects are under-developed or inaccurately described. For instance, the writer misinterprets Manhattan's percentage trend as a '19% increase' in population when the data shows it represented 19% of the total population in 2000. Additionally, the overview is slightly imprecise, stating the population expanded by 'more than double during each time period', which does not fully capture the varied rates of change. The main trends are nevertheless visible, placing the response appropriately at this level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure separating the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs focusing on Manhattan and the other districts. Information and ideas are generally logically sequenced, and the progression is mostly clear. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall,' 'However,' and 'In contrast,' but referencing and referencing links are occasionally mechanical or slightly faulty, such as the abrupt transition in sentence structure within the Manhattan paragraph. The response achieves a solid baseline of organization, showing elements of clearer logical progression while still maintaining some mechanical elements.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The writer uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common terms such as 'staggering', 'tremendous incline', and 'tripple'. However, there are several word choice, spelling, and word form inaccuracies that slightly hinder precision, such as 'specifc', 'distrct', 'pupulation', and 'tripple' instead of 'triple'. Furthermore, describing Manhattan's drop in percentage share as a '19% increase' demonstrates confusion with lexical precision in a data context. While communication is not severely impaired, these recurring slips keep the lexical score at this level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases ('With the population having expanded...'). There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including fragment sentences like 'With the population having expanded by more than double during each time period.' and missing punctuation. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, and the writer maintains a reasonable degree of control over basic structures, fitting the established profile.
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