Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)

The table showes information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

The oldest railway station is in london with bigest route and newest railway station is in los Angeles whereas number of passengers are high in Tokyo and lowest passesngers are in Kyoto with smallest route.

The oldest train station is in London which is opened in 1863 with largest reoute of 394 km and 775 passengers traveles per year.

in 1900 second oldest train station is in paris with second largest route of 199 km while 1191 persons uses per year.

In tokyo 1927

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify several relevant headline features, including London as the oldest system with the longest route and Tokyo as having the highest passenger figure. However, the response addresses the table only minimally: it stops partway through the Tokyo comparison and gives no information about Washington DC, Kyoto, or Los Angeles beyond a brief overview. Some figures are also reported inaccurately or unclearly; for example, London’s 775 is described as passengers who “traveles per year,” without stating the table’s unit of millions. The response is 87 words, below the required 150, which limits how much of the data can be summarised. To improve, cover all six cities, report the key figures accurately, and compare the largest and smallest values.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence is followed by a general comparison and then details about London and Paris. This gives the reader some sense of the intended order. However, progression is not sustained, as the final line, “In tokyo 1927,” is incomplete and leaves the summary unfinished. The comparisons are also crowded into one sentence, and links between the overview and supporting details are limited. Use separate paragraphs for an overview and grouped data comparisons, and connect each point clearly—for example, contrast the older, longer systems with the newer, shorter ones. Complete each sentence and ensure every city is placed within a logical sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses basic vocabulary relevant to the table, such as “oldest,” “newest,” “largest route,” and “passengers,” so the main topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms make the meaning less clear. “Train station” is not an accurate term for an underground railway system, while “persons uses per year” is an awkward way to describe annual passenger numbers. Spelling errors such as “showes,” “bigest,” “reoute,” and “passesngers” are noticeable. Build a small set of precise data-reporting expressions, such as “system,” “route length,” and “annual ridership,” and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparisons, including “The oldest train station is in London which is opened in 1863.” This shows an effort to combine information, but the range remains limited and errors recur. In that example, the relative clause and verb form are faulty; a clearer structure would be “London’s system opened in 1863.” Subject–verb agreement is also incorrect in “The table showes” and “1191 persons uses.” The final fragment, “In tokyo 1927,” is not a complete sentence, and punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent. Practise accurate past-tense forms for opening dates, agreement with singular and plural subjects, and complete sentences before attempting longer comparisons.

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