Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The take below gives information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Underground Railway Systems

City	Date opened	Kilometers of route	Passengers per year (in millions)
London	1863	394	775
Paris	1900	199	1191
Tokyo	1927	155	1927
Washington DC	1976	126	144
Kyoto	1981	11	45
Los Angeles	2001	28	50

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The following table gives the data about the underground railway systems in six different cities.

The overall table illustrates the different railway stations in different times with kilometer route along with passangers per years. The maximum travellers were travelled in 1927 were 1927 people from city of Japan name Tokyo and the length of journey was 155 kilometers. The 45 passangers in 1981 were minimum that travelled and covered 11 kilometers of route.

Moreover, the others cities like paris, the train covered 199 kilometers with passangers 1191 in 1900. The washington DC city, here the 144 people travelled in tran in 1976 and covered 126 kilometers. After that the last and final city was Los Angeles here the total passangers were 50 in 2001 and covered 28 kilmeters. These were the total data that the underground railway systems have saved of different 6 cities of different countries of the world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant figures, including Tokyo’s 155-kilometre network and 1,927 million passengers, and Kyoto’s comparatively small network and passenger total. However, the response only partially summarises the table: it omits London entirely and gives little meaningful comparison across all six systems. The overview is also unclear, and the statement that the figures show what the systems “have saved” does not describe the data accurately. Some figures are reported as individual “people” or “passengers” rather than annual totals in millions, which changes their meaning. To strengthen the response, give a clear overview of the oldest and largest network, the busiest system, and the smallest systems, then compare the cities using accurate units.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organisation: an opening sentence introduces the table, and “Moreover” and “After that” signal movement between details. The response also groups several cities in the second paragraph. However, the progression is not consistently logical: Tokyo and Kyoto are presented first, followed by Paris, Washington DC and Los Angeles, without a clear comparison or organising principle. The repeated use of “different” and the closing sentence, “These were the total data,” add little and make the ending feel abrupt. Use a concise overview followed by paragraphs that group the largest or busiest systems and then the smaller or newer ones. Clear links such as “By contrast” would make comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “underground railway systems,” “kilometers of route” and “passengers per year,” so the subject is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the data difficult to interpret. For example, “maximum travellers were travelled” is not a natural way to describe the highest annual passenger figure, while “length of journey” refers to a trip rather than the total route network. “The train covered” also suggests a single train rather than a city’s system. Spelling errors such as “passangers” and “kilmeters” are noticeable. Practise precise terms such as “network,” “route length,” and “annual passenger numbers,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes simple statements and attempts longer sentences, for example, “The Washington DC city, here the 144 people travelled in tran in 1976 and covered 126 kilometers.” However, these longer constructions are often faulty, and the range of sentence patterns remains limited. Problems with verb forms and sentence structure appear in “maximum travellers were travelled” and “the others cities like paris, the train covered…”. Articles, agreement and punctuation also need attention; the opening overview joins several ideas without a clear grammatical structure. These errors can make relationships between the figures and the cities difficult to follow. Build accuracy first with clear subject–verb sentences, then combine related comparisons using controlled clauses, such as “Although London opened earliest, Tokyo carried the most passengers.”

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