Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The tables below represent the changes in the population of New York city and it's five district between 1800 and 2000.

Overall, the population increased significantly in New York city over the period. Although, Manhattan was most populated district of New York initially, it's contribution in population decreased over time.

The proportion of population of other four districts start increasing over the years.

To begin with, the population of New York was 79,216 in 1800 that increased to 3,437,202 in a century and 8,009,185 in 2000 eventually. Moreover, the population of Manhattan district was 60,515 that made up to 76% of New York city in 1800. Although it's population increased over two centuries, it's contribution in city population in terms of percentage decreased. In 1900 and 2000 it's population was 1,850,093 and 1,538,096 respectively making up to 54% and 19% of proportion of New York population.

Furthermore, othe four districts Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island had population of 18,701 made up to only 24% of city in 1800. The population of these districts increased over the centuries along side their percentage dominate New York city increases as well reaching 46% in 1900 and 81% in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main trends accurately: New York’s total population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell from 76% to 19% and the other districts’ share grew to 81%. The overview also correctly notes Manhattan’s initial dominance. Relevant figures for all three years support these points, and the response covers both the city total and the district comparison. To make the account more fully developed, clarify that Manhattan’s population rose between 1800 and 1900, then declined by 2000; the phrase “Although its population increased over two centuries” is inaccurate because it did not increase continuously. You could also make the contrast between Manhattan’s falling population after 1900 and the other districts’ strong growth more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs presenting the city total and district figures. Sequencing from 1800 through 1900 to 2000 is generally easy to follow, and connectors such as “Moreover” and “Furthermore” help signal additions. However, some linking is mechanical or awkward, and the overview’s separate sentence about the other districts repeats the same trend rather than developing the comparison. The long final sentence also combines population growth and changing shares in a way that makes the relationship less clear. Use more direct comparisons between the two groups and ensure each paragraph has a distinct purpose to strengthen progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “population,” “proportion,” “contribution,” and “increased significantly,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are attempts at more formal reporting language, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “contribution in population” and “percentage dominate” do not express the intended relationships clearly. “Other four districts” is also less precise than “the other four districts,” while “along side” is misspelled as two words. Repeated use of “population” and “increased” limits flexibility. Aim for accurate collocations such as “accounted for,” “share of the city’s population,” and “rose,” while checking spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “Although” and “that,” and the main information remains understandable. However, some errors recur in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and punctuation. For example, “Although, Manhattan was most populated district” has an unnecessary comma and needs an article before “most populated”; “The proportion … start increasing” has a subject–verb agreement error; and “In 1900 and 2000 it's population was” uses an incorrect apostrophe and awkward sentence construction. The final sentence also lacks a clear grammatical link between the districts’ population growth and their share. Review articles, agreement, possessives, and punctuation, then proofread complex sentences for complete, well-connected clauses.

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