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)

The intial table presents overall changes in the population of New York city between 1800 and 2000. The remaining tables illustrate changed in the population over ther same period in five districts of the city (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island).

Overall, the table compares population of New York city that was increasing significantly over the two century. Moreover, manhattan intially accounted for the majority pf the city's population, its population steadily declined, with the other four districts coming to dominate the total population by the year 2000.

In 1800, New York had a total population 79,216, with manhattan being the majority population of 6

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the broad upward trend in New York City’s population and note the shift from Manhattan’s dominance to the other districts, which are relevant main features. However, the response is incomplete: it stops partway through the first detail, at “a majority population of 6,” and gives no usable comparison for 1900 or 2000. It also does not report the key figures showing Manhattan’s share falling from 76% to 19% while the other districts’ share rose to 81%. The required minimum of 150 words is not met; the response contains 94 words, with 11 words copied from the prompt excluded. To develop the summary, complete the comparisons and select a few accurate figures from each period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence introduces the tables, followed by an overview and the start of a detail paragraph. The overview also uses “Moreover” to connect two related observations. However, the response ends abruptly during the first specific comparison, so there is no clear progression through the three years or a complete concluding detail. The opening refers to “remaining tables,” although the information is presented in two visuals, and the relationship between the overall population and district figures is not developed. Use separate, complete paragraphs for the introduction, overview and selected data, and connect the years in a logical sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses some appropriate task vocabulary, including “overall changes,” “population,” “majority,” “declined” and “dominate,” and these choices help communicate the general trend. However, the range is limited by the short, unfinished response, and several spelling or word-form errors reduce accuracy: “intial” and “ther” are misspelled, while “changed” is used where a noun is needed. “New York city” and “manhattan” also need consistent capitalisation. Some phrasing is imprecise, such as “the majority population”; “the largest share of the population” would be more natural. Build a wider set of accurate terms for describing totals, proportions and changes, and proofread spelling and forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt more than simple statements, particularly in the overview: “Manhattan initially accounted for the majority …, its population steadily declined, with the other four districts coming to dominate…” This shows an effort to combine related ideas. However, control is uneven. The sentence joins two independent clauses with only a comma, and “the population of New York city that was increasing” is an awkward and faulty clause structure. The detail sentence is also incomplete: “with Manhattan being the majority population of 6” has no finished figure or complete comparison. The response relies on a small number of sentence patterns, so practise accurate complex sentences and check that each sentence has a complete grammatical structure.

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

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