Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-08

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 table charts illustrate the population of all New York City districts and the variation in the percentage of residents in each district. Initially, the majority of the population resided in Manhattan. But as the population increased, other districts' numbers rose. Finally, diversity was observed, and the population was scattered across all districts.

In the year 1800, the total population was fewer than 80,000. Over the next hundred years, the population skyrocketed to almost 3.5 million. The population increased rapidly and reached 8 million residents in the year 2000.

Initially, about three-fourths of the total population lived in Manhattan. The rest of the people resided in other districts. With the increase in population and the state's expansion, diversity in the residents' pattern was observed. The ratio in other districts increased further, and in Manhattan, it continued to fall. Other districts, i.e., Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, that once accommodated just 24% of the total population. In the end, accounted for over 81% of the people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main shift clearly: Manhattan held most residents at the start, while the other four districts accounted for a much larger share by 2000. The figures of about 80,000, 3.5 million and 8 million, and the change from 24% to 81% outside Manhattan, are broadly accurate. However, the overview is partly unclear: “diversity was observed” and “scattered across all districts” do not precisely describe the population distribution shown. You also omit the important detail that Manhattan’s population rose to 1.85 million in 1900 before falling to 1.54 million in 2000. The response covers the main trends, but some comparisons and selected details need clearer, more complete reporting.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an overview to total population figures and then district shares. This helps the reader follow the broad account. However, progression within the final paragraph is less controlled: the shift from the changing ratio to the concluding statement about the other districts is abrupt, and the sentence beginning “Other districts, i.e.” is left incomplete before “In the end” starts a new fragment. “Initially” is also repeated, while “Finally” and “In the end” provide similar time signals. Use complete sentences, group the Manhattan figures together, and connect the 1900 and 2000 comparisons explicitly to make the organisation more coherent and the linking less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing change, including “skyrocketed,” “increased rapidly,” “continued to fall” and “accommodated.” These choices communicate the general trends, and the district names are reported accurately. Some expressions, however, are imprecise or unnatural for a statistical summary. “Diversity” does not mean a change in where residents live, and “the population was scattered across all districts” suggests an even distribution that the data do not establish. “Variation in the percentage of residents” is also less direct than describing changes in each group’s share. Aim for precise terms such as “proportion,” “accounted for” and “population share,” and avoid dramatic or interpretive wording when neutral reporting is more suitable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex forms, and most of the main information remains understandable. There are some errors in sentence construction and punctuation, particularly in the final paragraph. “Other districts, i.e., Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, that once accommodated just 24%...” has no main verb, and “In the end, accounted for over 81%...” is a sentence fragment. The opening “But as the population increased...” is also an abrupt sentence after “Initially,” and “the total population was fewer than 80,000” uses an awkward agreement pattern because “population” is singular. Recast these as complete sentences and check that each clause has a clear subject and verb; this would improve accuracy while preserving your range of structures.

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.