Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-16

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 4.0)

The table illustrates data on changes in total population of New York City in 1800 to 2000. Overall, it is evident that in 2000 population recorded the highest figure, wheares in 1800 the population recorded lowest. Another notable features is that

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies one valid broad feature: the city’s population was highest in 2000 and lowest in 1800. However, it does not summarise the tables meaningfully: there are no figures, no comparison between Manhattan and the other districts, and no account of the shift in their shares of the total population. The sentence “Another notable features is that” is unfinished, so the main features are left unreported. The response also falls well short of the required 150 words, leaving too little space to select and explain relevant data. To improve, complete the overview and report key comparisons, such as Manhattan’s share falling from 76% to 19% while the other districts’ share rose to 81% by 2000.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence is followed by an overview signalled by “Overall”. This gives the reader a simple starting point, but the response stops before developing a logical sequence of information. The final phrase, “Another notable features is that”, is incomplete and leaves the reader expecting a point that never arrives. There are no developed paragraphs or links between comparisons because the relevant details are absent. For clearer progression, use a brief introduction, a complete overview, and a body paragraph comparing the population figures and district shares. Ensure each sentence is complete before moving to the next point.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary is limited but includes some task-relevant terms, such as “total population”, “highest figure” and “lowest”. These phrases communicate the general subject and one broad comparison. However, the range is too narrow to describe the tables’ main changes, and some choices are inaccurate or awkward: “data on changes in total population” is less natural than “population figures”, while “Another notable features” has an incorrect plural form. The misspelling “wheares” also reduces accuracy. Build a small set of precise terms for describing trends and proportions, such as “rose”, “declined”, “accounted for” and “share”, and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a compound sentence using “Overall” and the contrast marker “whereas”, and the basic meaning of the opening is understandable. However, grammatical control is uneven. In “in 1800 to 2000”, the time relationship is expressed incorrectly; use “from 1800 to 2000”. The phrase “in 2000 population recorded the highest figure” is missing a determiner and has an awkward subject construction; for example, “The population reached its highest figure in 2000.” The final clause, “Another notable features is that”, has subject–verb and number agreement problems and is incomplete. Use complete sentences with clear subjects, and check articles, agreement and sentence endings.

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