Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-07

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 three tables demonstrate the significantly escalating popultaion of New York from 1800 to 2000. The first table is providing the information of total population of the states over years, the second table has the details of Manhattan, and other table has the data of other disticts including Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island.

In year 1800. the total population od New York City was 79,216; however, Manhatten had the 76% of entire states' with 60515 and other districts had the rest 24%. Then a century later in 1900, the combine population of all five districts was [redacted phone], which increased significantly over decades. Nevertheless, Manhattan had the more than a half people living there with 54% of total and other districts had the 46% with [redacted phone] population. In 2000, the numbers surged and crossed 8 million total population in NYC, on the contrary, the figures declined in Manhattan and just 19% of combine population lived there. However, 81% lived in other four districts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall pattern: New York City’s population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share grew. The response also includes relevant figures for all three years, including Manhattan’s 76%, 54% and 19% shares and the other districts’ 81% share in 2000. This gives the report a clear factual basis. To make the summary more complete, state the key comparison directly in the overview: Manhattan’s population itself peaked in 1900 and then declined by 2000, whereas the other districts continued to grow. Some details are also imprecise: “other four districts” is correct, but “entire states” is not an accurate description of the city’s total. A sharper overview and more precise reporting would strengthen the response further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response follows a generally logical structure: it introduces the tables, then reports the figures chronologically for 1800, 1900 and 2000. Time markers such as “Then a century later” and “In 2000” help readers follow the comparisons. However, the first paragraph mainly lists what each table contains rather than giving an overview of the most important trends, and the body is presented as one long paragraph. Some linking expressions are not well matched to the relationships between ideas: “Nevertheless” and “on the contrary” suggest contrast where a straightforward comparison would be clearer. Organise the report into a brief introduction and overview followed by a clearly grouped account of the data, and use transitions that express the intended relationship precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of vocabulary relevant to describing change, including “escalating,” “increased significantly,” “surged” and “declined.” These choices help communicate the broad trends, but several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, such as “popultaion,” “disticts,” “Manhatten” and “combine population.” Some expressions are also unnatural or inaccurate for this task: “the total population of the states” and “had the more than a half people” do not clearly describe New York City’s population. Use standard collocations such as “the city’s total population,” “accounted for” and “combined population.” More accurate spelling and more natural phrasing would make your vocabulary more effective and reliable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and longer sentences with clauses, for example the sentence beginning “Nevertheless” and the final comparison between Manhattan and the other districts. This shows some range, and the main trends are generally understandable. However, some grammatical errors affect clarity and control. “The first table is providing” uses an awkward tense for describing a table, while “Manhattan had the 76%” and “the combine population” show problems with articles and word forms. The sentence fragment “In year 1800.” also interrupts the sentence structure, and punctuation around the year and following clause needs attention. Practise accurate article use, complete sentence construction and consistent present-tense reporting verbs such as “shows” and “records.”

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.