Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-12

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 below illustrates the overall change in population of New York City during the years 1800 to 2000. Whereas second and third table depicts the change in population of five different districts which are Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.

Overall, population of New York City was quite low initally where Manhattan had the largest share in the population. Despite overall population increased drastically over the period but, the overall population of other districts increased and that of Manhattan declined.

Initially, the population of New York City was 79,216 during the year 1800 where Manhattan had the largest share which was around 76%. During 1900, the number of residents increased drastically to 3,437,202 in which share of Manhattan district dropped from 76% to 54% compared to other districts which rose from 24% to 46%.

Population during 2000 increased sharply to 8,009,185 in which other districts had the largest share of 81% compared to that of Manhattan which dropped to 19% till the end of 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages and provide relevant figures for the city’s total population and the changing shares of Manhattan and the other districts. The overview correctly identifies Manhattan’s initial dominance and the later shift towards the other districts; the figures of 76%, 54% and 19% support this comparison. However, the overview says Manhattan’s population “declined” without clarifying that this happened after 1900: its population first rose from 60,515 to 1,850,093, then fell to 1,538,096. Including this absolute-population trend would make the key feature more complete. The response also focuses mainly on percentages in the district comparison, so some information is reported more fully than other information. A clearer account of the rise and subsequent fall in Manhattan’s numbers would strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview and chronological paragraphs covering 1800, 1900 and 2000. This makes the main progression easy to follow, and comparisons such as Manhattan’s share falling from 76% to 54% while the other districts’ share rose are placed logically. The linking expressions “Initially,” “During 1900” and “During 2000” help signal the time sequence, although the latter two sound somewhat mechanical and could be varied. Some connections within sentences are less smooth, particularly “Despite overall population increased drastically over the period but,” where two contrasting structures are combined. More precise referencing and cleaner links between the city total and district figures would make the cohesion more natural and flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing change, including “increased drastically,” “share,” “dropped” and “declined.” These choices communicate the main trends, and terms such as “residents” and “district” suit the topic. However, some wording is repetitive or imprecise: “population” and “overall” recur frequently, while “the number of residents increased drastically” could be expressed more precisely as a rise in the city’s population. There are also spelling and word-form slips, including “initally,” and phrases such as “till the end of 2000” are less suitable for a formal report than “by 2000.” Aim for more accurate collocations and a wider selection of trend language, while keeping the descriptions concise and factual.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, and the meaning is generally clear. For example, the comparison of Manhattan’s share with that of the other districts conveys the data successfully. However, some errors in sentence construction and verb forms remain. “Whereas second and third table depicts” lacks an article and has subject–verb disagreement; “Despite overall population increased … but” incorrectly combines two contrasting constructions. The overview sentence “Despite overall population increased drastically over the period but, the overall population…” is also difficult to control because of this structure. Articles and prepositions need attention in phrases such as “population of New York City” and “during the year 1800.” Practise forming accurate contrast clauses with “while” or “although,” and check agreement and sentence boundaries during revision.

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