Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-30

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 Firstly table indicate the vary in the overall population of the New Yirk City from 1800 to 2000.The secondly and third one demonstrate the adust in the population on the five district of the city

(Manhattan,Brookklyn,Bronx,Queen,Staten Island) over the similar duration.

The populaton of all district in the year 1800 was 79,216 in the year 1900 was the 3,437,202 and in the year 2000 the population was 8,009,185.The seperately population of every citys was the vary.The population of Manhattan district was different in 1800 year was 60,515 in 1900 was 1,850,093 and in 2000 the population was 1,538,096.The other population of all ditricts was the combination ofn total in year 1800 was 18,701 in year 1900 was 1,587,109 and in the year 2000 the population was 6,471,089.The most population increase in the New york city Mathattan because the total pouplation rise instead of all other cities of New york city.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You include the main population figures for all three years and distinguish Manhattan from the combined other districts, so the response is relevant to the tables. However, the overview is unclear and one key comparison is inaccurate: you say the greatest increase was in Manhattan, although Manhattan’s population fell between 1900 and 2000, while the other districts grew substantially and made up 81% of the total by 2000. The response mostly lists figures rather than selecting and explaining the main trends. To improve, state clearly that the city’s total population rose throughout, Manhattan’s share declined, and the other districts became the majority; then support these points with selected figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response follows a basic sequence, moving from the tables’ subject to the total population and then to Manhattan and the other districts. This gives the reader some sense of the information’s order. However, it is presented as one continuous block, with no clear paragraphing or distinct overview, and several sentences repeat the same pattern of listing populations. Connections between ideas are also weak: phrases such as “The seperately population” and “The other population” do not clearly signal the comparisons being made. Organise the response into an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph of key details, using clear links such as “By contrast” to show how the districts’ trends differ.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “overall population,” “district,” “combination,” and “increase,” and the figures make the topic recognisable. However, the range is basic and repetitive, and frequent spelling and word-choice problems make parts difficult to understand. Examples include “vary” for “change,” “adust” for “changes,” “seperately population,” and “the most population increase.” Several district names are also misspelled, including “New Yirk” and “Brookklyn.” Aim to use accurate, natural collocations for describing data, such as “the population rose,” “accounted for,” and “the combined population of the other districts.” Check spelling carefully, especially for names and key terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response communicates some figures through simple sentence patterns, but grammatical control is weak and errors frequently obscure relationships between the data. For example, “The Firstly table indicate” has problems with article use, word order, and subject–verb agreement, while “in the year 1900 was the 3,437,202” lacks a clear grammatical structure. The final sentence also makes the comparison difficult to follow because its clauses are not connected accurately. Most sentences rely on repeated simple patterns, with little successful variety. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use consistent past-tense reporting, for example: “The city’s population rose from 79,216 in 1800 to 3,437,202 in 1900.”

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