Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-03

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)

first table illustrate the population of new york city from 1800 to 2000 which is quitly increased in 1800 year the popolation of newyork was 79216 by the gradual increase of the one year it reaches to [redacted phone] that means in 1 year it has increase in drastic amount but after same one year popolation jump from [redacted phone] to [redacted phone] that means it has increase to the highest level

IN manhattan which is the district of newyork its population was 60515 in the year of 1800 that mens it was 76% but after one year in 1900 popolation become [redacted phone] which is 54% if we would compare it to newyork

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement, containing only 101 words instead of the required 150 words. Furthermore, the writing is incomplete and cuts off mid-sentence. While the student attempts to report figures from the tables, the interpretation of time intervals is severely flawed, confusing 100-year spans with single years and stating that the population jumped 'after one year in 1900'. Key trends are only minimally addressed, and the information presented is heavily fragmented and under-developed due to the truncated response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The text suffers from a lack of proper organizational structure and punctuation, making it difficult to follow the logical progression. Sentences run together without full stops or capital letters, such as 'first table illustrate...'. Paragraphing is absent, and basic cohesive devices are either missing or repetitive. Although the student attempts to sequence some information chronologically, the overall arrangement is disjointed and lacks clear referencing between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with frequent reliance on simple terms like 'increase', 'popolation', and 'amount'. There are notable spelling errors throughout the text, including 'quitly', 'popolation', 'newyork', and 'mens'. Word choice is frequently inaccurate, such as using 'drastic amount' or misinterpreting percentages. The lexical range is limited and minimally adequate for the task, causing some strain for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying on simple sentences that are frequently joined incorrectly. There are frequent errors in verb forms and tenses, such as 'first table illustrate' instead of 'illustrates', and a complete lack of punctuation like capital letters and periods. Subject-verb agreement issues and missing articles are also prevalent throughout the short text, which causes frequent difficulty for the reader.

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