Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 tables display how the total population changed in New York City and its five corresponding districts between 1800 and 2000.

Overall, New York population increased throughout the period, and 2000 was the highest in those years. In 1800, Manhattan dominated among all five districts of New York, but in 2000, the percentage of the total population increased for the other four districts, while Manhattan's percentage decreased.

In New York, around 79 thousand people lived there in 1800, which increased to about 3.4 million people in 1900. In 2000, which showd the largest population, and it was 8 million. Among all the population, Manhattan was alone one districts where 76% of the total population lived in 1800. On the other hand, only 24% of people lived in other districts.

The percentage slowly decreased in 1900; Manhattan accounted for 54%, and the other four districts accounted for 46% of the total population. Finally, the dominance of Manhattan was over in 2000; only 19% of the total population lived there, followed by 81% of residents lived in the other four consecutive districts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall pattern: New York City’s population rose substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share grew. The response also reports the key percentages for all three years, and the approximate city totals are accurate. This addresses the task, but some features are less fully reported or clearly expressed. For example, Manhattan’s population itself rose from 60,515 to 1,850,093 by 1900, then declined to 1,538,096 in 2000; the response focuses on its percentage and does not make this important change explicit. The statement that Manhattan was “alone one districts” is also unclear. To strengthen the summary, distinguish population totals from shares and report the contrasting change in Manhattan’s actual population alongside the overall growth.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs presenting the city totals and district shares. The sequence from 1800 to 2000 is generally easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “On the other hand,” and “Finally” help signal relationships. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. “In 2000, which showd the largest population” is an incomplete construction, and “followed by 81% of residents lived” does not connect the comparison grammatically. The overview also repeats the idea of Manhattan’s dominance without clearly separating its population from its percentage share. Use more precise references and build each paragraph around a distinct comparison to make progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for describing change and comparison, including “increased,” “decreased,” “accounted for,” and “dominance.” These choices communicate the main trends, and the response is generally understandable. However, some expressions are imprecise or unnatural for a data summary: “Manhattan was alone one districts,” “the percentage slowly decreased,” and “four consecutive districts.” The spelling error “showd” also reduces accuracy. In addition, “increased” in the overview could refer either to Manhattan’s share or the other districts’ share, so the wording needs to identify the subject precisely. Choose standard collocations for proportions and population figures, and check spelling to make the comparisons more exact and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “which” and contrastive structures such as “while.” Most of the intended meaning can be understood, but some grammatical errors remain. “In 2000, which showd the largest population, and it was 8 million” is not a complete, well-formed sentence; “Manhattan was alone one districts” has problems with the noun phrase and number; and “followed by 81% of residents lived” combines structures incorrectly. There is also a tense-form issue in “the percentage slowly decreased” when describing the 1900 figure, which is better presented as a past value rather than an ongoing process. Practise complete sentence patterns for reporting figures and check agreement and clause construction.

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