Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-02
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)
The first table depicts by what number the total population of New York City has changed and the remaining table illustrate the changes in the residents of the five districts namely Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and staten island between 1800 and 2000.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0
The response identifies the topic and the period, and names the five districts, so it shows a basic understanding of what the tables concern. However, it only paraphrases the task and reports none of the figures or trends: for example, it does not mention the city’s growth from 79,216 to over 8 million, or Manhattan’s declining share compared with the other districts. There is also no overview of the main changes or meaningful comparison. The response is substantially below the required 150 words, leaving the task minimally addressed. To improve, include a clear overview and select key figures to compare across 1800, 1900 and 2000.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
The sentence follows a basic sequence, introducing the overall table before referring to the district data, and the phrase “between 1800 and 2000” gives the reader a time frame. However, the response consists of only one sentence, with no paragraphing or progression from an overview to supporting details. The reference to “the remaining table” is also unclear because the task presents multiple sets of information. As a result, ideas are not arranged into a coherent report. Organise the response into an introduction, an overview, and one or two detail paragraphs, using clear links such as “By contrast” when comparing Manhattan with the other districts.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
The response uses some relevant vocabulary, including “total population,” “residents,” and “districts,” and the list of district names shows awareness of the subject matter. However, the range is narrow and several expressions are awkward or imprecise: “depicts by what number” is not a natural way to describe a table, while “the remaining table illustrate” does not clearly identify the data. The lowercase spelling of “staten island” is also inaccurate. Use standard report language such as “shows the population,” “the other districts,” “accounted for,” and “rose to,” and check proper nouns. More precise vocabulary would help describe the substantial growth and changing population shares.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The response attempts a complex opening sentence, but control is uneven. In “the remaining table illustrate,” the singular subject requires “illustrates”; the sentence also shifts from “the first table” to “the remaining table” without a clear grammatical reference. The construction “depicts by what number the total population … has changed” is difficult to follow, and the present perfect “has changed” is not well suited to describing a completed period ending in 2000. The sentence is otherwise understandable, and the time phrase is placed appropriately, but there is no evidence of a wider range of accurately controlled structures. Practise concise reporting clauses, consistent past-tense descriptions, and subject–verb agreement.
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