Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-22

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)

These three tables illustrate differences in number of population of New York City and its five districts (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) between the period of 1800 to 2000.

Overal In New York City gradually increased population in the period with most number of public, whereas it's one district Manhattan experienced more population in early years. At end years, other districts faced a prominent hike in percentage of population.

From era 1800 to 1900, there was a sharp increase in population in New York City as compared to Manhatten. In 2000 other districts faced population number rose in such a way that Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island overcome in percentage as compare to Manhatten.

Manhatten state followed a dramatic rise in its population from year 1800 to 2000.

on the other hand New York City gained higher number of pe

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the broad contrast between Manhattan’s early dominance and the other districts’ larger share by 2000, which is relevant to the tables. However, the report is incomplete and only partially summarises the data: it gives few accurate figures and does not clearly describe the overall population rising from 79,216 to 8,009,185. The statement that Manhattan had a “dramatic rise” from 1800 to 2000 is misleading, since its population fell from 1,850,093 in 1900 to 1,538,096 in 2000. The final sentence is cut off, leaving a comparison unfinished. The response also falls eight words short of the required minimum. To improve, give a clear overview and support it with key figures and accurate comparisons across all three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is an attempt to organise the response into an introduction, an overview and further comparisons, and phrases such as “From era 1800 to 1900” and “on the other hand” signal relationships between ideas. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the comparisons are not developed in a clear sequence, and some references are vague: “other districts” is not consistently linked to their combined population or share. The final line ends abruptly at “higher number of pe,” so the response has no complete conclusion to its last point. Paragraphing is present but does not yet create a coherent account of the tables. Group the information by time period or by Manhattan versus the other districts, and use clear links between each comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some task-related vocabulary, including “population,” “percentage,” “sharp increase” and “prominent hike,” and it attempts to describe change rather than merely list values. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “number of population,” “most number of public,” “faced a prominent hike,” and “overcome in percentage.” “Manhatten” is also misspelled repeatedly, and “public” appears to be an incorrect word choice in context. These errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to identify. Aim for precise, conventional language for data description, such as “population,” “accounted for,” “increased,” “declined,” and “share,” and check spelling of place names.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparative sentences, for example, “From era 1800 to 1900, there was a sharp increase…” This shows some effort to vary sentence structure. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence formation and verb patterns often obscure meaning. Examples include “Overal In New York City gradually increased population,” which lacks a clear grammatical subject, and “other districts faced population number rose,” where the verb structure is faulty. “Manhatten state followed…” is also not a well-formed sentence, while the final sentence is incomplete. Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, including the lowercase “on the other hand.” Practise building complete subject–verb sentences and use accurate comparative forms, such as “Manhattan’s population rose, then fell.”

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