Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-12
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)
The first table chart illustrates that the population of City New York is increased from 1800 to 2000. The next two table illustrates that at the same time the number of people is also increase of the five districts included Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten, Queens, Staten Island. Overall, In 1800, New York has has low population and high in 2000. In other table, in 1800 the percentage of Manhattan is high and in 2000 they have low percentage of people. In other districts,the population in 1800 is about to low and in 2000 is about to high. In New York City,the Year 1800 includes 79,216 pupils, in 1900 they included 3,437,202 and in 2000 they rise to 8,009,185. In city Manhattan, in 1800 the amount of population is about to 60,515 and their percentage is about to 76 and in 1900 there is decrease in population which goes about to 1,850,093 and aslo down in percentage In 2000 there is no further rise in population and in percentage aslo which is about to 19 percent. In other districts the population in 1800 is about to low which is about to 18,701 and 24 percentage of the population. In 1900, there is rise in population and also go up in percentage and in 2000 the percentage is about 81.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The student attempts to address the task by mentioning the overall population change and referring to data for Manhattan and other districts. However, the response contains significant inaccuracies and confounds specific data points. For instance, the text claims that New York City had '79,216 pupils' in 1800, misinterpreting the table's total population figures, and misrepresents the 1900 and 2000 percentages. Furthermore, the selection of main features is disjointed, and comparisons are vague ('the population in 1800 is about to low and in 2000 is about to high'). Because the ideas are poorly developed and rely heavily on flawed data interpretation, the response aligns best with Band 4 descriptors for Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0
The text is divided into paragraphs, but the logical progression is frequently disrupted. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, and often misused, such as repetitive transitions like 'In other districts' and 'In 1900'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks clear thematic unity, jumping confusingly between overall trends, percentages, and absolute numbers. Referencing is also faulty throughout the text (e.g., 'they have low percentage'). Overall organisation is quite disjointed, reflecting Band 4 performance in Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.0
The vocabulary used is very basic, repetitive, and often inaccurate. The student frequently relies on simple words like 'increase', 'rise', 'high', and 'low', and struggles with basic collocations and word forms (e.g., 'population of City New York is increased', 'pupils' instead of people). Word choices such as 'about to low' demonstrate severe limitations in lexical control. Spelling and word-choice errors frequently strain the reader's understanding, placing the lexical resource firmly at Band 4.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0
The grammatical range is extremely limited, consisting mostly of simple and attempted complex sentences that are heavily flawed. There are constant errors in verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions throughout the response (e.g., 'the population... is also increase', 'New York has has low population', 'there is decrease in population which goes about to'). Punctuation is basic and erratic. These frequent errors often distort the meaning and cause significant difficulty for the reader, consistent with Band 4 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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