Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-22

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 chart indicates the population of all five districs of Newyork from year 1800 to 2000 and also showing the population of other cities in this same time bracket.

In 80s, the population of Newyork was around 79,216 therefore the population of other cites like Manhattan's population was around 60,515 and the other cities poputation was around 18,701 and the chart also shows the percentages of the cities according to total population of their countries. Manhattan city percentage was around 76% of their total population and other cities percentage was aroud 24% in 1800.

as we can see the population of these cities increases by by huge numbers like in 19s the population of newyork city was around 3,437,202 therefore also the population other cities increases by a large numbers like the population of manhattan become around [redacted phone] other cities population become around [redacted phone] as the Manhattan percentage decreases from 76% to 64% and other cities percentage increases from 24% to 46%

in 2000 the percentage of newyork city become around 8,00,9185 and other cit

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response attempts to address the task by reporting the population figures for New York City and its districts in 1800, 1900, and 2000. However, the student misinterprets the geographic breakdown, repeatedly referring to Manhattan and other districts as 'other cities'. Furthermore, the summary is incomplete and trails off abruptly at the end ('and other cit'). While some main features are identified, such as the overall growth and the changing percentages, the lack of completion and inaccurate designation of districts prevent the response from achieving a higher band score. It fits the Band 4 descriptor as it responds to the task minimally and contains noticeable inaccuracies in reporting the data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The text lacks proper paragraphing, with most of the writing clumped into a single run-on block or awkward short paragraphs. The progression of ideas is hindered by repetitive phrasing ('the population of...') and a lack of clear cohesive devices. Referencing is frequently unclear, particularly with the use of 'therefore' and 'as' to link unrelated clauses. Additionally, because the text cuts off mid-sentence at the end, overall coherence is severely compromised. This corresponds to a Band 4 level, where information is not arranged coherently and logical transitions are largely absent.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive. Words like 'population', 'cities', and 'percentage' are used constantly throughout the text without variation. There are numerous lexical errors, such as misnaming the districts as 'cities', misspelling 'districts' as 'districs', and spelling 'New York' as 'Newyork'. Less common lexical items are attempted with poor control. This performance aligns with Band 4, as the vocabulary is basic, repetitive, and contains errors that occasionally strain the reader's understanding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures. Most sentences are long, run-on clauses linked repetitively by conjunctions like 'and' or 'therefore' rather than proper punctuation. Punctuation is largely absent, and capitalization rules are ignored (e.g., 'Newyork'). There are frequent errors in basic grammar, such as verb tense inconsistencies ('the population... increases by by huge numbers' and 'in 80s'). Because the response is unfinished and contains frequent structural errors, it fits the Band 4 descriptor.

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