Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 provided tables illustrate the population fluctuation data of New York city of years 1800, 1900, and 2000. Additionally, other tables shows the proportion of population in various districts such as Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island in the same years.

Overall, the city had experienced a significant rise in the population throughout the period, as 21st century had experienced the highest population. Specifically, Manhattan had witnessed major proportion of population compared to other locations for most of the years.

In the 19th century, the population of New York Cities was around 80,000, which had a noticable dramatic surge of 3.4 million people 1900. Afterward, the proportion of individuals hitted a peak of more than 8 million individuals in the starting of 21st century. Furthermore, Manhattan was experiencing more than 75% of total population than other four districts in the 19th century, which was considered as the highest population in a single location.

Although, the proportion of the Manhattan was decreased, the number of populations was rising untill 2000. Precisely, there were more than 1.8 million individuals in manhattan and 54% in terms of proportion in the 1900, which was reduced to 19% and the figures was slightly more than 1,538,096 in the starting of the 21st century . However, the population and the proportion of different cities were rising at a significant phase. The proportion of living people are 24%, 46% and 81% in the years 1800, 1900 and 2000 respectively. The major surge of population in these four locations were seen during 20th century.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall pattern: New York’s population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ combined share increased. You also include relevant figures, such as Manhattan’s 54% share in 1900 and 19% in 2000, and the other districts’ rise to 81%. This covers the task well, with some features more fully reported than others. However, the overview says Manhattan had the largest proportion “for most of the years,” which is imprecise: it led in 1800 and 1900, but not in 2000. The account also says Manhattan’s population was rising, although it fell from 1,850,093 to 1,538,096 between 1900 and 2000. Clarifying this contrast and reporting the city totals more precisely would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs presenting details. The progression from city-wide growth to the changing district shares is generally easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Afterward,” and “Although” help signal relationships. However, some connections are awkward or unclear. For example, “Although, the proportion of the Manhattan was decreased, the number of populations was rising” does not clearly distinguish Manhattan’s population from the city’s total, and the final sentence about growth in the four locations is not fully connected to the preceding figures. Use more precise references and group the comparisons consistently—for example, contrast Manhattan’s absolute population with its percentage share.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “significant rise,” “proportion,” “decreased,” and “major surge.” This allows you to communicate the main comparisons, but several choices are unnatural or imprecise for a data report. Phrases such as “population fluctuation data,” “hitted a peak,” “population in a single location,” and “rising at a significant phase” do not express the intended trends naturally. There are also spelling errors, including “noticable” and “untill,” and repeated use of “individuals” where “residents” or “people” would be more suitable. Aim for accurate, conventional collocations such as “the population increased” and “accounted for 54% of the total.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including complex clauses beginning with “Although” and “which,” and most of the main ideas remain understandable. However, errors in agreement, tense, articles, and sentence construction occur often enough to make some statements awkward. Examples include “other tables shows,” “the figures was,” and “the proportion of individuals hitted a peak.” The sentence “Manhattan was experiencing more than 75% of total population than other four districts” also has an unclear comparison structure. Use simple past consistently for the historical data, check singular and plural subjects, and form comparisons directly. For instance: “Manhattan accounted for 76% of the city’s population in 1800, compared with 24% in the other districts.”

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