Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-18

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 first table illustrates the population changes over three centuries in five districts of New York. The second presents the population changes of one city Manhattan against the percentage changes. The third table represents the information of the remaining four districts.

Overall, there has been a significant increase in the population of New York city in the given period. Manhattan's population contributed the most compared to the other four districts during the first two centuries. However, during the last century the population of the other districts had tripled. The percentage population of Manhattan continued to decreased while that of the other districts tremedously rose.

In 1800, the total population of New York was 79,216 of this Manhattan had 60,515 compared to 18,701 of the other four districts. There was a dramatic increase of population to 3,437,202 during 1900, which further rose to 8,009,185 by the year 2000. Manhattan had an upward trend to 1,850,093 in 1900 and there was slight drop in 2000, to 1,538,096. The other four distrcicts continued to rise sharply over the centuries to 6,471,089.

The percentage change in population of Manhattan dropped sharply from 76% to 19% over the years, whilist that of its counterparts was rising fro 24% to 81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main trends and support them with accurate figures: the city grows from 79,216 to 8,009,185, Manhattan rises to 1,850,093 in 1900 before falling, and the other districts reach 6,471,089. The overview also captures the shift in population share from Manhattan to the other districts. This gives the response a clear, relevant account of the tables. Some comparisons could be more precise: saying the other districts “had tripled” in the last century is an imprecise summary of their growth, and the response does not give their 1900 share or directly compare their 1900 and 2000 populations. Also, the opening misidentifies the tables: the first shows the whole city, not the five districts individually. Overall, the key features are covered and supported, though a few details are generalised.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear four-paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. The progression from overall population figures to district populations and then percentages is easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “However,” and “In 1800” help signal the stages of the report. To make the organisation more controlled, group related comparisons more consistently: the final paragraph could compare both districts’ shares at all three dates, rather than giving only the starting and ending percentages. Some connections are also slightly awkward, as in “In 1800, the total population … was 79,216 of this Manhattan had 60,515,” where punctuation or a linking phrase is needed. The structure is coherent, but cohesion is not always smooth or fully precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of trend vocabulary, including “significant increase,” “dramatic increase,” “upward trend,” and “dropped sharply,” which helps describe the data. However, several word choices, collocations, and spelling errors limit precision and naturalness. “The population changes of one city Manhattan” is an awkward way to introduce the district, while “percentage changes” should refer to population shares. “Tremedously,” “distrcicts,” and “whilist” are misspelled, and “continued to rise sharply over the centuries” is less precise than describing the figures as rising across the three dates. Aim for accurate, conventional reporting phrases and check spelling carefully. The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main trends, but errors and imprecise phrasing are noticeable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex forms, including “which further rose to 8,009,185” and the contrast introduced by “However.” Most of the data remains understandable, but some grammatical errors and punctuation problems reduce accuracy. For example, “The percentage population of Manhattan continued to decreased” has an incorrect verb form; use “continued to decrease.” In “In 1800, the total population … was 79,216 of this Manhattan had 60,515,” two clauses run together and need punctuation or a connector. “Manhattan's population contributed the most” also has an unclear grammatical relationship between population and contribution. Work on verb patterns, clause boundaries, and sentence construction while retaining the range of structures you already attempt.

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