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 two diagrams illustrate changes to the population in New York City in the time period between 1800 and 2000. The first table demonstrates the increase in the total population across the five districts in the city, While the second shows that of Manhattan, and the third illustrates total population the the four other districts over the given period.

Overall, New York City's population has experienced a noticable upward trend over the 200 year period. Furthermore, Manhattan's population saw significant increase in the number of citizens in 1900 and made up more than half of NYC's total population. Other districts made up the majority of the total number of people in hte city by the end of the period.

New York City's total population was only 79,216 in 1800, with 76%(60,515 people) living in Manhattan, and 24% (18,701 individuals) in other districts. The overall population increased significantly after 100 years being (3,437,202).

The city in 2000 saw the most significant number of citizens it has seen over the past 200 years with 8,009,185 individuals. However, 81%(6,471,089) of them live in the other four districts(Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island), and only 19%(1,538,096) in Manhattan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You select the main trends and report the key figures accurately: the city grows from 79,216 to 8,009,185, while Manhattan’s share falls from 76% to 19% and the other districts’ share rises to 81%. The overview identifies both the overall increase and the shift in where most residents live. This gives the response a clear, relevant focus. However, the 1900 comparison is only partly developed: you note that Manhattan exceeded half of the city’s population, but do not give its population or the other districts’ share and figure for that year. The sentence about the total population increasing after 100 years is also incomplete in its comparison. Including these details would make coverage more consistently complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details for 1800 and 2000. The contrast introduced by “However” helps signal the change in the distribution of residents, and the figures are generally grouped in a sensible way. Some links and references are less clear or feel mechanical, though. The introduction says “the second” and “the third” table, but the relationship between the tables is awkwardly expressed, and “the overall population increased significantly after 100 years being (3,437,202)” does not connect the date and figure smoothly. A separate paragraph comparing all three years, especially the 1900 figures, would create clearer progression and more balanced coverage.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “upward trend,” “total population,” “majority,” and “individuals,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “experienced” and “significant increase.” However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing tables: “diagrams” is less suitable than “tables,” and “the most significant number of citizens” does not naturally mean the highest population. Spelling slips such as “noticable” and “hte” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, conventional collocations for describing changes and proportions, and proofread spelling so that your vocabulary choices support rather than distract from the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the overview sentence beginning “Furthermore” and the clause “with 76% … living in Manhattan.” Most of the data remains understandable, but some grammatical errors and punctuation problems persist. For example, “the third illustrates total population the the four other districts” has a repeated word and an incomplete construction; “after 100 years being” is not a grammatical way to introduce the 1900 figure. The capital letter in “While” after a comma is also incorrect, and the final sentence would read more clearly with spaces around the parenthesis. Use complete clauses when introducing figures and check sentence boundaries, articles, and punctuation to improve control.

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