Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · 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 4.0)

This table graph shows the population of the five districts of new york from year 1800 to 2000. As in manathan the polulation in 1800 was 76% and 1900 it has decreases and became 56% and in 2000 it decreases to 19%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies a relevant feature: Manhattan’s share of the city population fell over time, from 76% in 1800 to 19% in 2000. However, it gives only a fragment of the information in the tables and does not provide an overview of the city’s overall growth or the contrasting rise in the other districts’ share. The 1900 figure is also inaccurate: the table gives 54%, not 56%. The response is far below the required 150 words, which leaves the task substantially incomplete. To improve, report the main changes across all three years, include the total population figures, and compare Manhattan with the other districts using accurate data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic chronological sequence, moving from 1800 to 1900 and then 2000, and the reader can follow the intended comparison. However, the response consists of one short, loosely connected sentence rather than a clearly organised summary. The opening, “This table graph shows,” does not lead into a structured account, and the repeated “and” does little to show the relationship between the figures. A clearer response would use an introduction, an overview of the main trends, and a short paragraph comparing the data, with linking expressions such as “by contrast” or “whereas” used to connect the changes.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small set of relevant terms, including “population,” “districts,” and “decreases,” so its basic subject is recognisable. However, the vocabulary is very limited and several choices or spellings reduce clarity: “table graph” is not an accurate description of the visuals, “manathan” is misspelled, and “polulation” should be “population.” “As in manathan” is also an unclear phrase for introducing the figures. Use precise table language such as “the table shows” and “Manhattan’s share,” and vary reporting verbs with options such as “rose,” “fell,” and “accounted for.” Accurate spelling of key place names and data terms is important.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to communicate a sequence of changes, and the basic meaning can be inferred, but grammatical control is limited. The sentence “As in manathan the polulation in 1800 was 76% and 1900 it has decreases…” has an incomplete opening construction, lacks a clear preposition before “1900,” and shifts awkwardly between past forms (“was”) and the present perfect (“has decreases”). The final verb should be a correctly formed past-tense form, and the sentence needs clearer punctuation and structure. Most of the response relies on one simple sentence pattern, so it does not demonstrate a range of accurate structures. Practise complete comparative sentences, for example, “Manhattan’s share fell from 76% in 1800 to 54% in 1900.”

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