Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-23

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)

This graph shows the population of USA districts. First of all i discuss the newyork city. Its population is gradually increase with the passage of time comparitively other country. And it is the city that highest population score comparitively all mention cities. If i talk about the manhattan city its population increases but comapritively low than newyork city. The other cities Broollyn Bronx Queen a

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response makes a limited attempt to describe the topic, mentioning New York City, Manhattan and some other districts. However, it does not summarise the tables’ main features accurately: it says Manhattan’s population “increases,” whereas it rose to 1,850,093 by 1900 and then fell to 1,538,096 by 2000. It also gives no figures or clear comparison of the districts’ shares, which shifted from Manhattan’s 76% to 19% as the other districts’ share grew to 81%. The claim that New York has the highest population compared with “all mention cities” is not supported by these tables. The response is 85 words below the required minimum, leaving the task substantially incomplete. Include a clear overview and select key figures to support it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

There is a basic attempt to order the response, using “First of all” and “If I talk about,” and the reader can identify a move from the whole city to Manhattan and then other districts. However, these links do not create a clear progression through the data, and the response ends abruptly at “Queen a.” There are no distinct paragraphs or a concluding overview, and the relationship between the city’s total population and the district figures is not explained. Organise the report into an introduction, an overview of the main trends, and a paragraph comparing the figures. Use linking expressions to show contrasts and changes over time rather than relying on conversational transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small set of relevant terms, including “population,” “districts,” “increases” and “passage of time,” so the general subject is recognisable. However, vocabulary is repetitive and several choices are inaccurate or unclear: “population score” is not suitable for describing population figures, while “comparitively other country” does not express a clear comparison. There are also spelling errors in “newyork,” “comapritively” and “Broollyn,” and the district names are not consistently presented. Use precise language for trends and proportions, such as “rose,” “declined,” “accounted for” and “share,” and check spelling and collocations. This would make the limited information easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts simple sentence patterns, for example, “Its population is gradually increase,” and uses a conditional opening in “If I talk about the manhattan city.” However, verb forms and sentence construction are not consistently controlled. “Is gradually increase” should use a correctly formed verb phrase, and “its population increases but comparatively low” lacks a complete grammatical structure in the second clause. The response also shows little variety in sentence forms, and the final sentence is unfinished. Practise writing complete sentences with accurate present or past forms, and use comparison structures such as “Manhattan’s population was lower in 2000 than in 1900.” Proofread punctuation and capitalisation as well.

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

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