Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-28

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 three tables compares the popullation changes in New york city and other districts in that first table below shows changes in the total population of New York City over the period 1800 to 2000. The second and third tables show changes in the population of the five districts of the city over the same period.

overall, it is clear that we observe poppultion growth in every century over the period [redacted phone],while we observe fluctuated changes in manhattan table. In addition, we see highest population recorded in table by the period 2000.

Looking at the table 1, we see population in the year 1800 is 79,216 after this the growth of population will be 4 time more by 1900. In next come century the population growth stood reached to 8,009,185 by 2000.Looking at the table 2, we see population in the year 1800 is 60,515 after this the growth of population will be 4 time more by 1900. In next come century the population growth stood reached to 8,009,185 by 2000

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response attempts to summarize the tables, but it suffers from severe content errors and copying from the prompt. The student copies whole phrases directly from the instructions ('The first table below shows changes in the total population...'). Furthermore, the final paragraph contains a massive copying/repetition error where the text regarding Table 1 is duplicated and misapplied to Table 2 with identical figures. While the overall population growth is mentioned, the data for Manhattan and the other districts is incorrectly stated or completely confused. This places the response firmly in Band 4 due to minimal and inaccurate task handling.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, an overall statement, and a body paragraph, but the internal organization breaks down completely due to repetition and faulty referencing. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or incorrectly, such as 'after this the growth of population will be 4 time more'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the text lacks logical progression and clear cohesion between ideas. The abrupt ending caused by copy-pasting the exact same sentence structure for different tables further disrupts the flow, resulting in a Band 4 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.0

Vocabulary is very basic and repetitive. The student makes frequent spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'popullation', 'compares' (used with 'tables'), 'poppultion', and 'fluctuated changes'. There is an over-reliance on simple words and copied phrases from the prompt. While the reader can understand the general topic, the limited range and constant lexical errors prevent the score from rising above Band 4.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

Grammatical range is extremely limited, relying mostly on simple or faulty complex sentences. There are frequent errors in tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, such as 'the population in the year 1800 is' and 'stood reached to'. The sentence structures often become awkward or nonsensical, for example, 'In next come century the population growth stood reached'. These frequent errors cause difficulty for the reader and reflect a weak control of grammar, warranting a Band 4.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.