Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-16

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 illustrate, an analysis of New York City total population from 1800 to 2000. Whereas, the other tables shows population of five different cities such as Manhattan, other districts like–Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island.

Overall, New York City's total population are highly increased over 1800 to 2000 in 2000. While most people lived in Manhattan was high in 1800 and in other four districts a massive growth is in 2000.

In detail, population of New York City in the year 1800 was only 79,216 as compared to Manhattan holding 60,515 (76%) of the population, and other four districts combined only (24%) which is 18,701 of the total population.

In contrast, In 1900 the population of New York City is at peak of 3,437,202 of the total residents whereas, Manhattan's population actually went down to 1,850,093 (54%) simultaneously, the other four districts are 46% populated.

Moreover, In 2000 New York City's population was peaked at the highest by 8,[redacted phone], although Manhattan's was at it's lowest of 1,538,096 (19%). Hence, the other districts boomed, by reaching 6,471,089 and holding a huge (81%) majority of population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main pattern clearly: New York City’s population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share increased. The overview captures the key contrast, and the figures for all three years are generally reported accurately, including the 2000 total and the districts’ 81% share. This gives the response a clear, relevant account of the tables. To make the reporting more precise, avoid saying the city’s population was “at peak” in 1900, since it continued to rise to 8,009,185 in 2000; describe 1900 as an intermediate point instead. Also, the statement that Manhattan’s population “went down” in 1900 is misleading: its population had risen greatly since 1800, although its share of the city total had declined.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to comparisons for 1800, 1900 and 2000. This chronological organisation makes the main changes easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “In contrast” and “Moreover” help signal shifts between years. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “Whereas” begins a fragment after the first sentence, and “In contrast” does not accurately signal the 1900 comparison because Manhattan’s population increased in absolute terms. The overview also combines several ideas in a sentence that is difficult to parse. Use complete sentences and make each paragraph’s comparison explicit—for instance, distinguish population totals from percentage shares—to improve the flow and precision of cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “total population,” “combined,” “majority,” and “reaching,” and the reader can understand the broad trends. There is also some attempt to vary language with terms such as “massive growth” and “boomed.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for an academic report: “five different cities” mislabels the districts, “was at peak” is awkward, and “holding a huge majority of population” is not idiomatic. Repeated use of “population” and broad intensifiers also limits precision. Aim for neutral, data-focused collocations such as “accounted for,” “rose to,” and “declined as a proportion,” while checking spelling and number formatting, including “8,009,185.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of sentence forms, including comparisons and clauses introduced by “although” and “whereas,” but control is inconsistent. Errors appear in basic agreement and sentence construction: “The table illustrate” should be “The table illustrates,” and “the other tables shows” should be “the other tables show.” The opening “Whereas” sentence is incomplete, while “New York City's total population are highly increased” has problems with agreement and verb form. Punctuation also interrupts sentence structure, as in “The table illustrate, an analysis…” and “In contrast, In 1900…”. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas harder to follow. Practise accurate simple reporting sentences first, then add subordinate clauses while maintaining correct subjects, verbs and punctuation.

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