Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The table illustrates, the total population growth of New York City and its breakdown across five districts of the city - Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island from 1800 to 2000.

Overall, New York City's total population increased over the 200 year. While Manhattan total population was gradually decreasing in 1800 to 2000 year from 76% to 19% respectively. However, others districts increased from the year 1800 to 2000 by 24% to 81% respectively.

In detail, New York City had a most population in 1800 of 79,216 which is continuously increased to 3,437,202 in 1900 and peaked at 8,009,185 in 2000.

On the other hand, the population of Manhattan was expanded from 60,515 which is 76% in 1800 to a peak of 1,850,093 (54%) in 1900, gradually fell to 19% (1,538,096) in 2000.

In contrast, the other districts population was rapidly increasing from 18,701 in 1800 which is 24% of the population increased to 46% that is 1,587,109 in 1900. In the year 2000 it massively grows by 81% 6,471,089 in 2000

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main changes and make relevant comparisons: the city’s population rises from 79,216 to 8,009,185, while Manhattan’s share falls and the other districts’ share grows. The overview identifies these contrasting trends, and the figures you give match the tables. This meets the task well, though the overview could be more precise by noting that Manhattan’s population itself rose to a peak in 1900 before declining, rather than describing its total population as gradually decreasing. The final comparison also ends abruptly, and the growth of the other districts is not fully explained in relation to the city’s overall expansion. A more complete overview and a clearly finished final sentence would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the city total and district figures. This makes the main comparisons easy to locate, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “On the other hand,” and “In contrast” help signal relationships. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “While Manhattan total population…” is not a complete sentence, and “In the year 2000 it massively grows…” does not clearly connect the percentage and population figure. The final paragraph also lacks a full concluding sentence. To improve progression, use complete sentences and connect each figure explicitly to its year and comparison, rather than relying mainly on contrast markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “population,” “breakdown,” “increased,” “peak,” and “fell,” so the reader can understand the main trends. There is also some attempt to vary the language, for example with “rapidly increasing” and “massively grows.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for formal data reporting: “had a most population,” “expanded” for a population figure, and “massively grows” do not fit the context well. “Other districts” is also more naturally expressed as “the other districts’ combined population.” Aim for precise, conventional trend language and avoid intensifiers that do not add useful information. This would make the vocabulary more controlled and appropriate to an academic summary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and more complex structures, including “While…” and “which…” clauses, but control is inconsistent. Some errors make relationships difficult to follow: “While Manhattan total population was gradually decreasing…” is a dependent clause without a main clause, and “from 18,701 in 1800 which is 24% of the population increased to 46%” has a faulty sentence structure. There are also recurring problems with articles, plurals, and verb forms, as in “over the 200 year,” “others districts,” and “it massively grows.” Punctuation is also uneven, including the comma after “illustrates.” Practise building complete sentences around one clear comparison, and check agreement and tense consistency.

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