Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-27

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)

There are three tables that show the changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000. Of all the five districts of the city Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, over the same period.

In the first table, the information is about the population from the year 1800 to 2000 of the new york city. The second table given the information ablout a single place called manhattan, it tell the population along with the year and as percentage of the total population. The third table given the information is same as the second table, the only different is the place.

In the all the table the year 1800 has the less or lower population, and the year 2000 has the highest population in the all districts leaving manhattan, manhattan have a highest population in year 1900.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the topic and mention the broad pattern that the city’s population was lowest in 1800 and highest in 2000. You also correctly note that Manhattan’s population peaked in 1900. However, the response mainly describes what each table contains rather than summarising the data, and it gives no figures to support its comparisons. The key contrast—that Manhattan’s share fell from 76% to 19% while the other districts’ share rose from 24% to 81%—is missing. The claim that 2000 had the highest population in all districts is also too broad: Manhattan’s population was lower in 2000 than in 1900. The response is 111 words, below the 150-word minimum; 29 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Select the main trends and support them with accurate figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response has a basic sequence: it introduces the tables, describes their contents, and then attempts a comparison. This gives the reader some sense of the topic, but the progression is weak because the second paragraph repeats the table descriptions instead of developing a summary of the trends. The opening is also split into two sentences, with “Of all the five districts…” left as a fragment, so the relationship between the city total and the districts is unclear. The final paragraph brings in a comparison, but it combines several claims without clear organisation. Group the overview and the most important comparisons into distinct paragraphs, and use linking phrases to show how the figures relate.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use relevant basic terms such as “population,” “districts,” “year,” and “percentage,” so the subject is generally understandable. However, vocabulary is repetitive and often describes the tables rather than the data trends; “the information” and “the second table” recur several times. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate, including “the less or lower population,” “the only different,” and “a highest population.” There are also spelling and capitalisation errors, such as “ablout” and “new york city.” Use more precise reporting language to describe change and comparison, and check spelling and forms of common words. This would make the summary clearer and more appropriate for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts simple statements and some longer structures, but control is inconsistent. For example, “Of all the five districts … over the same period” is a sentence fragment, while “The second table given the information” is missing a finite verb. In “it tell the population,” the verb does not agree with its subject, and “the year 1800 has the less or lower population” uses an unsuitable tense and article pattern. The final sentence also joins several ideas awkwardly, making the comparison difficult to follow. These errors do not make the overall topic impossible to understand, but they limit clarity and variety. Practise complete sentences with accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, and past-tense reporting forms.

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