Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-06

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 table illustrates the information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

overall, it is noticeable that london route is the lengthy almost 394 KM. While, kyoto is the smallest route almost 11KM. London railway system annualy 77.5 millions passengers travel one place to another and kyoto smallest annual passenger travels almost 45 millions.

The opening year london railway system 1863, lenghiest track 394 KM annually passengers travel almost 77.5 millions. While, kyoto in 1981 opening date is shortest track almost 11KM, almost 45 millions passenger annually travel by this. The paris railway station second longest railway track 199KM which opened in 1900, annually 1191 passengers travel by this track.

By contrast that, Tokyo railway track opened in 1927, 155KM track but its passengers compare to paris railway stations is increased annualy 1927 millions highest number travel through ths station.

Washigton DC station opened in 1976 which is 126km long route and annualy 144 millions passengers travel through this. on the other hand, Los Angeles opened in 2001, which 28km long and 50 millions passenger travel through this.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the table’s subject and report several important comparisons, including London’s longest route (394 km), Kyoto’s shortest (11 km), and Tokyo’s highest annual passenger figure (1,927 million). You also include opening dates and cover all six cities. However, the overview is weakened by a major data error: London carries 775 million passengers, not 77.5 million. Some comparisons are also incomplete or unclear, and the figures for Paris and Tokyo are described as “passengers” without consistently stating that they are in millions. To strengthen the response, check every figure carefully and give a concise overview of the main patterns before supporting it with accurate details. Nine words copied from the task prompt were excluded from the word count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and further details about the cities. Grouping information by city makes the data reasonably easy to follow, and contrast markers such as “By contrast” and “on the other hand” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, progression is repetitive: London and Kyoto are described in the overview and then repeated in the next paragraph, while the comparisons between cities are not consistently developed. Some linking phrases are awkward or inaccurate, such as “By contrast that,” and sentence boundaries and capitalization are inconsistent. Organise the body into clearer comparisons—for example, older and larger systems versus newer and smaller ones—and use fewer, more precise transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “route,” “opened,” “annual passengers,” and “longest,” so the reader can generally understand the topic. However, the range is limited and several expressions are repeated, particularly “track,” “travel,” and “passengers.” Some word choices and collocations are unnatural, such as “travel one place to another” and “passenger travels,” while spelling errors including “lenghiest,” “annualy,” and “Washigton” reduce accuracy. Use standard data-reporting phrases such as “carried,” “served,” and “recorded,” and check spelling carefully. Also use “million” consistently with the figures rather than forms such as “1191 passengers” when the table specifies millions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with contrast, but the range is limited and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to read. For example, “The opening year london railway system 1863” has no complete verb structure, and “London railway system annualy 77.5 millions passengers travel” lacks clear sentence organisation. Articles, agreement, and punctuation also need attention: “the paris railway station” is not an accurate grammatical description of the system, and several sentences begin with lowercase city names or follow a full stop with a lowercase word. Practise complete subject–verb sentences, such as “London’s system opened in 1863 and has a route of 394 km,” and check sentence boundaries and capitalization.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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