Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 first table illustrates changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000.The second and third table demonstrait changes in the population of five districts of the city over the same period.

Overall,all five districts were increased in population but Manhattan had prominant rosen in the percentage of total population. On the same time other districts had slightly growth.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the topic and attempts an overview, but it reports very little of the tables’ main information. It says all districts increased, although Manhattan’s population fell from 1,850,093 in 1900 to 1,538,096 in 2000. It also reverses the percentage trend: Manhattan’s share declined from 76% to 19%, while the other districts’ share rose from 24% to 81%; the claim that Manhattan’s percentage rose is therefore inaccurate. No specific figures or meaningful comparisons are included. The response is also 103 words below the required minimum, which leaves the task substantially incomplete. To improve, give an accurate overview and support it with key figures and comparisons across all three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: the opening identifies the tables, followed by a separate overview beginning with “Overall”. This gives the reader a simple starting structure. However, the response ends after these two short paragraphs, with no detailed reporting or progression through the data. The linking phrases “On the same time” and “but” do not clearly express the intended comparison, and the overview’s claims are difficult to follow because they conflict with the figures. Develop a clear sequence—for example, introduce the overall population growth, then compare Manhattan with the other districts—and use accurate linking language such as “whereas” or “by contrast”.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small set of relevant terms, including “total population”, “districts” and “percentage”, so the topic is recognisable. However, the vocabulary range is very limited for describing table data, and several word choices or forms are inaccurate: “prominant rosen” and “slightly growth” do not communicate the trends naturally. “Demonstrate changes” is also less suitable than a precise reporting verb such as “show”. Spelling errors in “demonstrait” and “prominant” further reduce accuracy. Build a bank of trend language—such as “rose sharply”, “declined”, “accounted for” and “share”—and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response contains a few basic sentence forms, including an introductory sentence and an overview, and the main topic can generally be understood. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. The clause “all five districts were increased in population” uses an incorrect passive form; write “the populations of all five districts increased” if describing a rise. In “Manhattan had prominant rosen in the percentage”, the verb construction is not grammatical, and “other districts had slightly growth” lacks a correct adjective or adverb pattern. There are also missing spaces after full stops and commas. Practise accurate past-tense reporting clauses and simple comparison structures, then proofread sentence boundaries and punctuation.

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