Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-10

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 4.5)

The given bar graph table illustrate that the total population of new york cify from 1800 to 2000. the 2nd and the third shows the population of five districts of the city. Overall it shows that the population of new york and the third table has grown the most but seconed is lessen among them. In first table the population of new york from 1800 to 1900 has grown alot but from 1900 to 2000 it has grown the the most the the first century. the seconed and the third had alot of difference in 1800 The number was even more then the one third of each other. During the period of 1900 the number of third table grow wild which make the number noit even half of it. But in 2000 the table turns, the population of third become bigger then 4 times of the first table. And also went near to the the population of New York.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad subject and make an attempt to compare the three periods, including the shift from Manhattan’s dominance to the other districts’ larger share. However, the overview is unclear: saying the “third table has grown the most” does not identify the key contrast precisely, and “seconed is lessen” is difficult to interpret. Some comparisons are inaccurate or unsupported. The other districts’ population was about 24% of the total in 1800, 46% in 1900 and 81% in 2000; it did not become “more than 4 times” Manhattan’s population in 2000, but was about 4.2 times as large. The total population rose throughout, but its increase was greater from 1800 to 1900 than from 1900 to 2000. Select these main trends and report them clearly with accurate figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response by referring to the first table and then comparing the second and third, and expressions such as “Overall,” “During the period of 1900” and “But in 2000” signal stages. However, the ideas are not arranged in a clear progression, and the response reads largely as one continuous block. References such as “the third table,” “the number” and “it” are often unclear, so the reader must guess which population is meant. Several transitions also connect ideas without making their relationship clear. Use separate paragraphs for an overview and the key details, name Manhattan and the other districts rather than relying on table numbers, and group comparisons by year to make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small set of relevant terms, including “population,” “districts,” “grown” and “difference,” so the general topic is recognisable. However, vocabulary is repetitive and several choices are imprecise or unsuitable for describing data. Phrases such as “grow wild,” “the table turns” and “the number was even more then the one third of each other” make the intended comparisons difficult to understand. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “cify,” “seconed” and “noit.” Use precise terms for trends and proportions, such as “increased,” “declined,” “accounted for” and “approximately four times as large,” and check spelling carefully. This would make the comparisons clearer and more appropriate to an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences, for example with “but” and “which,” and use some time references to describe change. However, sentence structures are limited and frequently faulty, which sometimes makes the meaning hard to follow. In “The given bar graph table illustrate,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “the population of new york from 1800 to 1900 has grown” uses an unsuitable tense for a completed historical period. The sentence beginning “In first table” also lacks clear grammatical structure, while repeated words and missing punctuation disrupt readability. Practise accurate simple past forms for the dates, complete sentences with clear subjects, and punctuation between separate ideas before attempting longer comparisons.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.