Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-14

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 multiple tables despite the changes in the grant population of New York from 1800 to 2000. Moreover, also illustrates changes in the households of several cities over the same period. In general, New York City recorded the highest figure. While in several cities the total population was around New York City.

Looking at the table in more detail, New York City recorded the highest number of population over all five districts, at 8,009,185, followed by Manhattan, 1,538,096 19%of total population. The figure for New York was 64,71,089 higher than that for Manhattan.

Turning to the remaining data, other districts such as Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island recorded the lowest figure, at 18,701 population 24%. This was higher than the figure for Manhattan in 1800. Compared with New York in 1800 the grant total population was 79,216 compared to Manhattan it has 60,515. However, comparing Manhattan and other districts in 2000 the total population of different districts are higher than Manhattan while lowest from New York.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response includes a few relevant figures, such as the city’s 2000 population of 8,009,185 and Manhattan’s 2000 share of 19%, but it does not clearly summarise the main changes across the three dates. The overview that New York recorded “the highest figure” is not a useful comparison, since the city total is being compared with a district, and the claim that several cities had populations “around New York City” is unclear and unsupported. Some comparisons also mix years: the 18,701 figure for the other districts is from 1800, while the text calls it the “lowest figure” without explaining the trend. A stronger response would highlight the overall population growth and the shift in population share from Manhattan to the other districts, using accurate, clearly framed comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response is divided into paragraphs and uses basic signposting such as “Looking at the table in more detail” and “Turning to the remaining data.” However, the ideas are not arranged into a clear account of the tables: the opening moves between the city total, districts and an unclear comparison, while later paragraphs jump between 2000 and 1800. References such as “the figure” and “this” do not always make clear which population or year is meant. The final sentence also combines several comparisons without a clear relationship. Organise the report around an overview followed by the city-wide trend and then the district comparison, and name the year and group in each comparison to make progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some task-related vocabulary, including “population,” “total population,” “figure,” and “compared,” so the reader can identify the general subject. However, the range is basic and repetitive, and several choices make the meaning difficult to interpret. “Grant population” and “grant total population” appear to be inaccurate word choices, while “households” does not describe the data, which concerns population. Phrases such as “highest number of population” and “lowest figure” are also imprecise for comparing these tables. Use standard collocations such as “total population,” “population share,” and “accounted for,” and vary “figure” with precise terms such as “population” or “proportion.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts to use more than simple statements, including “While…” and “Compared with…,” and some basic clauses communicate figures. However, sentence structures are often incomplete or faulty. “The multiple tables despite the changes…” has no main verb, and “Moreover, also illustrates…” lacks a clear subject. In “The figure for New York was 64,71,089 higher,” the comparison is not formed clearly, and the final sentence has problems with agreement and sentence construction (“the total population … are higher”). Punctuation and spacing are also inconsistent, as in “19%of.” Build complete sentences with an explicit subject and verb, and check agreement and punctuation when combining comparisons.

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

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