Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The three tables demonstrate how the number of population changed in New York city, Manhattan, and Other four districts between 1800 and 2000.

Overall, consitent growth can be seen in New York city (all five districts). While the proportion of total population decreased dramatically in Manhattan, other districts combined population increased significantly throughout the period.

New York city, in 1800, recorded 79,216 population, which continue to rise in the following two century (1900 and 2000), reaching from [redacted phone] to [redacted phone], respectively. The number of population in Manhattan stood at 60515 in 1800, which was 76% of total population, its percentage of total population fall considerably to 19%, by 2000.

In contrast, other districts population inclined steadily during 1800 and 1900, rising from 24% to 46%, and peaked at 81% by 2000. Total number of population for this other districts stood at 18701 in 1800, [redacted phone] in 1900, and [redacted phone] in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main trends accurately: New York City’s total population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share grew. The overview is clear, and the response includes relevant figures for all three years, including the overall totals and the other districts’ populations. This gives the reader a sound summary of the tables. However, the Manhattan account omits its population in 1900 and 2000, and its absolute population trend is not fully explained: it rose sharply by 1900 before declining by 2000. Including that contrast would make the selected features more fully supported and precise. Overall, the key comparisons are addressed, though one important district trend is less developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised in a clear sequence: an introduction, an overview, then paragraphs covering the city total and the district figures. The contrast marker “In contrast” helps signal the shift from Manhattan to the other districts, and the information generally progresses from earlier to later years. This logical structure makes the summary easy to follow. Some links between figures could be more explicit, however. For example, the Manhattan paragraph moves from its 1800 population directly to its 2000 percentage without reporting the intervening year, while the other-district paragraph combines population totals and percentages without clearly distinguishing the two measures. More precise referencing and transitions between these data series would make cohesion more flexible and less dependent on simple sequencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing trends and comparisons, including “decreased dramatically,” “increased significantly,” “stood at,” and “in contrast.” These choices communicate the main patterns, and the meaning remains clear despite some inaccurate or unnatural expressions. For instance, “number of population” is not a natural collocation; use “population” or “population size.” “Inclined steadily” is also an unsuitable way to describe a rise in population, and “peaked at 81%” suggests a temporary high rather than simply reporting the final share. There are also spelling and form slips, such as “consitent.” Greater precision in trend vocabulary and more natural collocations would strengthen this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including a complex sentence beginning “While the proportion…” and clauses using “which,” so the response shows some structural variety. However, grammatical control is uneven, with errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “which continue to rise” should be “which continued to rise,” and “its percentage … fall” should be “its percentage … fell.” The phrase “other districts combined population increased” needs a possessive or a different structure, such as “the combined population of the other districts increased.” In “stood at 79,216 population,” the noun phrase is also incorrectly formed. Revising these patterns would improve accuracy while preserving your attempts at complex sentences.

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