Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-26

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 first table illustrates data changes in the total population of New York city between 1800 to 2000 the second and third table changes in the population of the five districts city over the period

Overall, the New York are five districts in the population of the diagram. the year and the percentage in the figure and the other districts in island.

Looking at the details, in New York city all five districts the year in 1800 and the population low increase 79,216in the figure. the second in 1900 the population increased in 3,437,202. and the last is high rise in 8,009,185 in yhe figure.

The second table is Manhattan . the year in 1800 and the population high rise is 60,515 the percentage is76%. and the second in 1900 the population is decrease in the figure is 1,850,093 and the percentage is 54%. the last is 2000 low is decrease and the population is 1,538,096 and the percentage is 19%.

The third table is other districts (Brooklyn, bronx, queens, staten island). the year in 1800 and the population decline in 18,701 and the percentage is 24%. and the second year is increase in 1,587,109 the percentage is 46% adn the last in year the population high increase is 6,471,089 and the population is 81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You include figures from all three tables and correctly report the main population totals, including the rise from 79,216 in 1800 to 8,009,185 in 2000. You also identify Manhattan’s falling share and the other districts’ growing share. However, the overview is unclear (“the New York are five districts in the population of the diagram”) and does not clearly summarise the key contrast: Manhattan’s population peaked in 1900 and then fell, while the other districts grew substantially. Some descriptions are inaccurate or confusing, such as calling Manhattan’s 1900 population a decrease without stating what it decreased from. Make the overview explicit and compare the trends directly, using the figures to support them.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an attempted overview, and separate paragraphs for the total population and district figures. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is grouped. However, progression within the paragraphs is often difficult to follow because ideas are joined repeatedly with “and,” “the second,” and “the last.” The overview does not establish a clear direction for the report, and some references, such as “the figure,” are vague. Use clearer topic sentences and organise the data chronologically within each comparison. Linking expressions such as “by contrast” and “whereas” would help show how Manhattan differs from the other districts.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “population,” “percentage,” “increased,” and “districts,” and you name the boroughs represented in the table. However, the range is basic and repetitive, and several word combinations do not express the intended trend clearly. For example, “the population low increase” and “high rise” are awkward, while “the population decline in 18,701” misuses “decline” to introduce a figure. Spelling and capitalisation are also inconsistent, as in “yhe,” “adn,” and lowercase borough names. Build a small set of accurate trend phrases—such as “rose to,” “fell to,” “accounted for,” and “the share increased”—and use them consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to report several years and figures, but sentence structures are very limited and errors are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. The opening sentence lacks punctuation and uses an incorrect time construction (“between 1800 to 2000”); use “between 1800 and 2000.” Several clauses are incomplete or poorly formed, such as “the second in 1900 the population increased in 3,437,202,” and articles and sentence boundaries are often missing. Tense and verb patterns also need attention: describe completed historical changes with forms such as “rose to” or “fell to.” Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, then check punctuation and the links between clauses.

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