Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-15

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 given tables illustrate the variations in the total population of New York City from and also of five different districts of the city.

Overall, the population of New York increased dramatically over the period. The inhabitats of Manhattan also rose significantly while the percentage decreased. Similarly, the population and proprtion of other districts experienced a sharp growth.

In 1800, just 79,216 individuals were living in New York city. However, the population increased with a rapid trajectory over the next two centuries, and reached at 3,437,202 in 1900, and at 8,009,185 in 2000. Moreover, the population of Manhattan was at 60,515 people in the year 1800. Wheares, its population grew dramatically and reached at 1850,093 in 1900. Its also experienced a decline in 2000 and reached at 1,538,096.

Furthermore, the percentage of Manhattan decreased over the period its started from 76% and reached at 19% in final year. The population of other districts also increased significantly. In 1800 there were only 18,701 individuals in these districts but its showed a rapid rose and reached at 6,471,089 in 2000. In addittion, their proportion also increased from 24% to 81% throughout the given period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main changes and provide a clear overview: New York’s total population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share grew. The figures you give for 1800 and 2000, and for the city total in 1900, match the tables. You also report Manhattan’s rise to 1900 and subsequent decline. This is a solid account, though some features are less fully developed: the other districts’ population in 1900 and their share at that point are omitted, and the shift in Manhattan’s share from 76% to 54% to 19% is not fully traced. Include the middle-year comparisons to make the summary more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement, moving from an overview to the city total, then Manhattan and the other districts. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Moreover,” and “Furthermore” make the sequence easy to follow. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. “Similarly” suggests the two district groups followed the same pattern, although Manhattan’s population fell after 1900 while the other districts continued to grow. “Whereas” is also used as a sentence opener without a clear contrasting clause. Use more precise links and make comparisons within the same paragraph so the reader can follow the changing balance between the districts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “increased dramatically,” “decline,” “percentage,” and “proportion.” These choices communicate the main patterns, but several word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors reduce precision and naturalness. For example, “inhabitats” is not the correct form, “a rapid trajectory” is an awkward collocation here, and “a rapid rose” is not idiomatic. There are also misspellings such as “proprtion,” “Wheares,” and “addittion.” Aim for accurate, conventional trend language and check spelling carefully; this will make the report clearer without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, errors occur in sentence construction, verb forms, and clause punctuation. “The given tables illustrate the variations in the total population of New York City from and also of five different districts” is incomplete and awkwardly structured. In “its started from 76%,” the subject and verb form are incorrect, while “reached at” uses an unsuitable preposition after “reached.” The sentence beginning “Wheares” is a fragment, and “the population increased … and reached at” shows repeated problems with verb patterns. Practise complete comparative sentences and accurate past-tense structures, then proofread for sentence boundaries and prepositions.

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