Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-09

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 chart provides us information about the underground railway systems in six cities around the world which shows when the underground railway started, kilometers of route and passengers per year in different cities between 1863 and 2001.

Overall, London was the first city that got the first underground railway in 1863 which was the longest route all these year. On the other hand, Kyoto city had the smallest railway route only 11 kilometers with 45 passengers per year. In 1927, Tokyo city got the highest number of passengers almost 1927.

In 1863, underground railway system opened in London city with 775 passengers per year. Route of Paris's railway system almost half in size then London but passengers number was huge which is 1191. In 1927, Tokyo got highest number of passengers and the route was only 155 kilometers but the highest number of passengers among these city.

Kyoto got the systems in 1981, it's route was small, also the number of the passengers was low. Cities like Washington Dc got the system in 1976 which was way before than Los Angeles. Only 29 kilometers of route aviliable for Los Angeles. The railway of 144 passengers from Washington DC per year, it's more double than Los Angeles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the table’s subject and give an overview of key extremes: London opened earliest and has the longest route, while Tokyo has the most passengers and Kyoto the shortest route. These are relevant main features, and you include several comparisons, such as Paris’s route being about half London’s. However, coverage is partial: the overview does not clearly compare the newer systems, and some figures are inaccurate or unclear. Los Angeles has 28 kilometres, not 29, and Washington’s 144 million passengers are fewer than Los Angeles’s 50 million only by a factor of less than three—not “more double” in a clear comparison. Report all figures accurately and organise the overview around the main contrasts across the table.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, so there is some organisation, and the reader can generally follow the city-by-city information. However, progression is not consistently clear: Tokyo’s highest passenger figure appears in both the overview and the second paragraph, while the final paragraph moves between Kyoto, Washington and Los Angeles without a clear comparison structure. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand” and “In 1927” are used, but some connections are awkward or do not clearly show the relationship between the figures. Group cities by meaningful contrasts—for example, older and larger systems versus newer and smaller ones—and use references and transitions that make those comparisons explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “underground railway systems,” “route,” and “passengers per year,” and attempt comparative language such as “longest” and “highest.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes comparisons difficult to understand. For example, “the railway of 144 passengers” does not clearly describe annual passenger numbers, and “the smallest railway route” is less natural than “the shortest route.” There are also spelling and form errors, including “aviliable” and “all these year.” Aim for precise data-reporting expressions such as “carried 144 million passengers annually” and “had a route length of 11 kilometres,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including a relative clause in the introduction and comparisons in the body. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward or unclear. For example, “The table chart provides us information” has an article and sentence-pattern problem, while “Route of Paris's railway system almost half in size then London” lacks a clear verb and has an incorrect comparative construction. In “Kyoto got the systems in 1981, it's route was small,” the possessive should be “its,” and the comma joins two independent clauses. Practise complete comparison structures, accurate articles and possessives, and punctuation between clauses.

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