Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-13

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 first table illustrates the changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000, while the second and third tables show population changes in the city's five main boroughs over the same period.

Overall, the population of New York City increased significantly between 1800 and 2000. While Manhattan's population rose sharply before declining slightly, the population of other four districts increased steadily, both in terms of their population figure and their share of citiy's total population.

In 1800, Manhattan had a population of 60,515, compared with 18,701 in the other four districts. By 1900, the figures as risen to 1,850,093 and 1,587,109, respectively. However, in 2000, Mnahattan's population declined to 1,538,096, whereas the population of other four districts inclined to 6,471,089.

Regarding the proportions, Manhattan accounted for 76% of the total population in 1800, compared with 24% in the other four districts. By 1900, Manhattan's share had declined to 54%, whereas the proportion of people living in other four districts inclined to 46%. In 2000, this trend continued, with Manhattan accounting for just 19%, while the other distircts represented the remaining 81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers the main changes and gives a clear overview: the city grew substantially, Manhattan’s population later fell, and the other districts gained both population and share. The figures quoted for 1800, 1900 and 2000 are accurate, and the comparison between Manhattan and the combined other districts is relevant. This meets the task well, with some of the next level’s clarity in selecting key trends. However, the overview could be more precise: Manhattan rose to a peak in 1900 before declining, while the other districts’ population increased across both intervals. Also, the opening calls the boroughs “five main boroughs,” but the tables group four districts together; explicitly identifying this grouping would make the reporting more exact.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged in a coherent sequence: an introduction, an overview, then paragraphs comparing population totals and proportions. Time markers such as “In 1800,” “By 1900” and “In 2000” help readers follow the data, while “whereas” and “compared with” signal useful contrasts. This is a sound overall structure, with some effective progression. At times, however, the linking is repetitive and mechanical, particularly the repeated “By 1900” and “In 2000” patterns across the two detail paragraphs. The relationship between the two tables could also be signposted more clearly. Use a wider range of transitions and make the shift from absolute figures to population shares more deliberate.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing the tables, and phrases such as “accounted for,” “share” and “declined” help express changes and proportions. The response also attempts more formal reporting language. However, several word-choice and spelling errors reduce precision: “inclined” is used where “increased” is intended, “citiy's” and “distircts” are misspelled, and “other four districts” is less natural than “the other four districts.” “Population figure” is also less precise than “population.” These errors do not prevent understanding, but they show that less common or formal wording is not always controlled. Prefer accurate, natural collocations over varied vocabulary when reporting numerical trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses with “while” and “whereas,” and most relationships between the figures remain clear. There are some grammatical errors, however. In “By 1900, the figures as risen,” the verb form should be “had risen”; “the other four districts” also needs the article in several places. The phrase “the population of other four districts increased” would be more accurate as “the population of the other four districts increased.” These issues are noticeable but rarely obstruct meaning. To improve control, check articles and verb forms carefully, especially when describing changes across past dates, and retain the same grammatical pattern in parallel comparisons.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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