Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-09

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 first table displays changes appeared in over-all population of New York City, while the other two tables compare the changes in the population in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island districts between 1800 and 2000.

Overall, in 2000 New York City had the largest population in centuries. Manhattan had the highest figures in 18th century while, other districts had highest population in 2000.

In 1800, population of New York was 79,216 that rose to 3,437,202 in 19th century followed by leading in 20th century with 8,009,185 figures. The population of City rose significantly in 3 centuries.

While Manhattan had the highest figures of 60,515 and lowest population in other districts with 18,701 in count in 1800, in 2000 the people living in other districts such as Brookly, Bronx, Queens,Staten Island rose significantly to 6,471,089 and took first position compared to Manhattan with 1,538,096 total population during same century.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall changes: New York City’s population grew substantially, Manhattan’s share declined, and the other districts became dominant by 2000. The figures you give for the city total and for the districts in 1800 and 2000 are accurate, and the overview makes a relevant comparison. This covers the task well, with some features more fully reported than others. In particular, the 1900 district figures and shares are omitted, even though they show Manhattan still had a majority of the population at that point. Also, “largest population in centuries” is imprecise: the table compares three specific years. Include the 1900 comparison and describe the changing shares to make the key trends more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs reporting figures. The contrast introduced by “While” also helps connect the 1800 and 2000 district populations. However, the progression is not consistently clear. The third paragraph repeats the overall growth already stated in the overview, while the final paragraph moves between 1800 and 2000 in one long sentence. The phrase “followed by leading in 20th century” is difficult to connect to the preceding figures, and “during same century” has an unclear reference. Organise the details chronologically, and use separate sentences for the city totals and district comparisons. This would make the relationships between the data easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary such as “population,” “districts,” “rose significantly,” and “compared,” so the topic is generally clear. There is some attempt at varied phrasing, but several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing tables: “changes appeared in,” “highest figures,” and “took first position” do not express the trends as naturally as standard data-reporting language. “Brookly” is also misspelled, and “in count” is an awkward expression. These issues make the description less precise, although the main meaning remains understandable. Aim for accurate collocations such as “the population increased,” “accounted for,” and “had the largest share,” and check spelling of district names.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrastive construction beginning “While Manhattan had…” and a relative clause in “districts such as…”. The main comparisons can generally be understood, but some errors in sentence structure, articles, and punctuation reduce accuracy. For example, “population of New York was 79,216 that rose” needs a clearer clause connection, and “in 2000 the people living…” would benefit from a comma after the introductory phrase. In “Manhattan had the highest figures… while, other districts…,” the comma after “while” is misplaced. Use complete, clearly separated clauses and check articles and punctuation when comparing years.

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