Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-17

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 first figure illustrates how the population changed in New York city in three years. The second and third figures compares the proportion of population in Manhattan and other five districts of city over the same peroid. Overall, the population in New York City was increased rapidly over the years and it had recorded the highest population rise in three years. Moreover, other districts population were rising constantly. In contrast, Manhattan district had a drastic fall in population.

We can see that initially, the population of the New York City in 1800 was 79,216 and then is rise dramatically by 2000 over a 9 million population. In contrast, the Manhattan population in 1800 was 60 thousand at 76% but it gradually declined to 19% by 2000 and recorded the lowest population percent. Meanwhile, the other five districts in 1800 started a approx 19 thousand population at 24% and it had a significant rise by 2000 with almost 6.5 million population at 81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall contrast: New York City’s population grew substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share rose. The figures for 1800 and 2000 are generally reported accurately, including Manhattan’s 76% to 19% change and the other districts’ 24% to 81% increase. However, the account is incomplete: it omits the important 1900 figures, when the city had 3,437,202 residents and Manhattan still held 54% of the total. The claim that Manhattan’s population “gradually declined” is also unclear, since its population first rose sharply to 1,850,093 in 1900 before falling to 1,538,096. Develop this middle stage and distinguish population totals from percentages more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to supporting details, and signposts such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “Meanwhile” help show comparisons. The main progression is understandable, but the overview and detail paragraph do not fully organise the data by the three years: 1900 is skipped, leaving the account without a clear middle-stage comparison. Some references are also imprecise, such as “it” in “it had a significant rise,” where the reader must infer that this means the other districts’ population. Grouping the figures consistently by year, or comparing Manhattan with the other districts across all three years, would make the progression clearer and cohesion less dependent on basic linking phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for describing change, including “dramatically,” “declined,” “significant rise,” and “proportion.” These choices communicate the broad trends, but some collocations and word forms are inaccurate or imprecise: “recorded the highest population rise” is not a natural description of the city’s growth, and “other five districts” conflicts with the fact that the other group contains four districts. “Population percent” is also less precise than “share of the city’s population.” There are spelling errors in “pero[id]” and “city” in the proper name “New York City.” Aim for accurate, conventional data-reporting phrases and check spelling and district labels carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, and the overall meaning is usually clear. However, some errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction remain. For example, “the second and third figures compares” should use a plural verb, while “the population … was increased” is better expressed as “increased.” The phrase “then is rise dramatically” has an incorrect verb form, and “started a approx 19 thousand population” has problems with article use and sentence structure. There is also a tense mismatch in “it had recorded” when describing the overall trend. Review subject–verb agreement and use past simple consistently for the historical data; these corrections would make your comparisons more controlled.

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