Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-16

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 first table illustrates modify in the total population of new york city. furtheremore the second and third tables present dat dismmion of population of five districts of the city which involves Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island in the period between 1800 to 2000.

The first table New york city in all five districts population every 10 years the population was increased 79,216 to 8,009,185 in the 1900 3,437,202.

In the Second table city involve Manhattan As proportion of total population growth every 10 years however proportion decline in 1800 population was 60,515 proportion was 76%, after 10 years it become 1,850,093 here 25% of proportion drop, in 2000 the population was 1,538,096 here 50% was fall.

In the third table other four districts like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten, Island In 30 years the population and As percentage of total population was rised every 10 year and population was growth it 18,01 to 6,471,089 however the proportion was 24% to 81%.

Some population and percentage was some times icreased and decresed every 10 years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The response attempts to address all parts of the task by reporting data from the tables regarding the total population of New York City and the breakdown between Manhattan and the other districts from 1800 to 2000. However, the selection and reporting of main features are severely compromised by poor data interpretation and confusion over the figures provided in the tables. For instance, the text claims that 'in the 1900 3,437,202' and misreads percentage changes, stating that Manhattan experienced a '50% was fall' in population between 1900 and 2000 when the population actually dropped from 1,850,093 to 1,538,096 (a decrease of about 17%). Furthermore, the overview is extremely vague and inaccurate. Because the data is misreported and key trends are obscured by language barriers, the task is only partially addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The response is divided into short paragraphs attempting to follow the structure of the input tables, but overall progression is lacking. Sentences are disjointed and difficult to follow due to poor punctuation, run-on structures, and a lack of clear logical links. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, with repetitive phrases like 'every 10 years' and 'in the first table' used mechanically rather than to build a coherent argument. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion within each paragraph breaks down frequently, making the text as a whole hard to navigate.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is extremely limited, repetitive, and frequently incorrect in form or word choice. Examples include 'illustrates modify' instead of 'illustrates changes', 'dat dismmion' instead of 'distribution', and 'rised' instead of 'rose'. There are frequent word-form errors, such as using 'proportion decline' and 'population was growth'. While the writer attempts some topic-specific vocabulary related to numbers and percentages, the high frequency of basic lexical errors and spelling mistakes impedes communication significantly and prevents the score from rising higher.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. Most sentences are simple or attempt complex forms that result in severe errors, fragments, or run-on sentences (e.g., 'In the third table other four districts like Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten, Island In 30 years the population...'). There is an almost complete absence of accurate complex structures. Punctuation is largely absent or misused, leading to sentences that run together without clear boundaries. Grammatical errors—including tense confusion, subject-verb agreement issues, and incorrect prepositions—are pervasive throughout the text.

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