Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-25

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 three charts compare the number of population of New York City together with five districts- Manhattan,Brooklyn,Bronx,Quenns and Staten Island during the time of 1800,1900 and 2000.

Overall,there is dramatic increase of a whole population over the three periods of year. Manhattan city accounted for the highsest population in 1800 whereas the other city represents exactly opposite with the highest number in 2000.

In 1800, the number of population of New York City was 79,216 ,in which 76% of people were the resider of Mnhattan city,representing 60,515 people.The other four were only 24% of total population with 18,701 dewellwers.By 1900, the population of Manhattan city declined noticeably to 54% ,accounted for 18,50,093 people. On contrary,the population of other four districts rose up to 46% on the same year with 15,87,109 residers.

In 2000, the number of population of Manhattan city fall down to 15,38,096 people which is only 19% of total population.The other four districts had a rapid growth of 81% of total population including 64,71,089 dewellers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall pattern: New York City’s population grew substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share rose. The figures you report for the three years are generally consistent with the tables, and the overview makes a relevant comparison. However, some key information is not fully developed: the citywide totals for 1900 and 2000 are not stated, and the overview’s claim that Manhattan had the highest population in 1800 is not clearly contrasted with its absolute population later. Also, the other districts’ population increased in number; it did not merely “rise” in percentage. Include the total figures and distinguish changes in population from changes in share to make the summary more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the earlier and later years. The chronological sequence makes the information easy to follow, and contrasts such as “On contrary” help signal comparisons. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical, with each paragraph largely listing figures rather than grouping the most important trends. Some linking and punctuation are awkward, as in “In 1800, the number of population …,in which,” and the final paragraph gives only the 2000 district figures without restating the citywide total. Use clearer sentence boundaries and connect the figures explicitly to the overall shift from Manhattan to the other districts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main comparisons, including “population,” “percentage,” “declined,” and “rapid growth.” There are also attempts at more varied wording, such as “accounted for” and “dramatic increase.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for a data summary: “number of population,” “resider,” “dewellwers,” and “fall down” weaken precision, while “the other city” is unclear because the comparison is between districts. Spelling errors such as “Quenns” and “Mnhattan” also reduce control. Prefer standard collocations such as “population of,” “residents,” and “fell,” and use “districts” consistently. This would make the vocabulary more accurate and appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “in which 76% of people were…” and contrastive structures such as “whereas” and “On contrary.” The main information remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “there is dramatic increase” needs an article and a past-tense verb, while “the population … fall down” should use a past-tense form. There are also problems with sentence boundaries and comma spacing, particularly in the long 1800 sentence, and agreement is inconsistent in “the other four were only 24%.” Use past tense consistently for the historical data, check articles and agreement, and divide long sentences into clearer units.

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