Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-02

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)

so there are three tables in front of me and in each table there is information about the population of new different districts in the first table there is a list of new york city and all their five districtsin 1800 the population of new york all five district is 79216

In 1900 the population rises and the exact population is [redacted phone]

and then in 2000 the population reached to [redacted phone]

In the next table there is record of population of manhatten in different years and percentage of total population

So in 1800 the population is 60515 which is 76% of the total population

In 1900 the population increases and reached to [redacted phone] which is 54% of the total population

In 2000 the population d increases and reached to [redacted phone] which is 19% of the total population

In the next box there is a record of other districts

In year 1800 the population is 18701 which is 24% of the total population

And in year 1900 the population increased and reached to [redacted phone]

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response attempts to describe the data but fails to provide a clear overview or identify significant trends. It relies heavily on listing raw figures from the tables rather than synthesizing the information. The description is incomplete, as it stops abruptly after mentioning the 1900 data for 'other districts,' failing to cover the 2000 data for those areas or provide a meaningful comparison between the districts. The lack of an introduction or a concluding summary means the response does not meet the requirements for a successful academic report.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response lacks paragraphing, which makes it difficult to follow. There is no logical progression of ideas; the text reads as a series of disjointed sentences rather than a cohesive report. Cohesive devices are almost entirely absent, and the transition between the different tables is abrupt and mechanical. The lack of punctuation, such as full stops or commas, further hinders the flow and clarity of the information presented.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary is very basic and repetitive, relying almost exclusively on phrases like 'the population is' and 'the population increased.' There is no attempt to use a range of vocabulary suitable for describing data, such as 'fluctuated,' 'accounted for,' 'surpassed,' or 'proportion.' The spelling of 'Manhattan' is incorrect, and the overall lexical range is insufficient to convey the information with any degree of precision or academic style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The response consists almost entirely of simple, repetitive sentence structures. There is a complete lack of punctuation, which makes the text difficult to read and interpret. Grammatical errors are frequent, including issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency (e.g., 'the population d increases'). There is no evidence of complex sentence structures, and the lack of basic punctuation significantly impacts the readability of the response.

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

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