Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-10

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)

This sheet gives the information about the underground railway system in six cities. The cities which are included in this sheet are London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto, Los Angeles. The first and the longest underground railway system opened back in 1863 and it was about 394 kilomteres long and almost 775 millions passengers travelled per year from this route. The last underground railway system opened back in 2001 and it was about 28 kilometers long and almost 50 millions pessesngers travelled per year. Paris is on 2nd in the list from the top having a 394 kilometers long route and opened back in 1900. Higher in number of passengers by london but shortest in route as compare to london and about 1191 millions passengers per year. Tokyo is on the 3rd in the list, having a highest number of passengers from all the cities which is about 1927 millions per year but shortes in kilometers from london and paris, opened back in 1927, Then Washington DC, opened in 1976. about 126 kilometers long and 144 millions passengers travelled per year. Kyoto is shorts in route from all the cities and as well in number of passengers 45 millions per year which is smallest in list. Overall this sheet is very informative and giving so much details about underground railway systrems.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the six cities and report several key figures, including London’s early opening and longest route, Tokyo’s highest annual passenger total, and Kyoto’s shortest route and lowest passenger figure. However, the overview is not clearly stated, and some comparisons are inaccurate or confusing. In particular, Paris is described as having a 394-kilometre route, which is London’s figure; Paris has 199 kilometres. The phrase “Higher in number of passengers by london” also obscures the comparison, although Paris’s 1,191 million is higher than London’s 775 million. Los Angeles receives only a brief mention, and the response does not consistently select and compare the main features. A clear overview and accurate reporting of every city’s figures would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response follows a broadly understandable sequence, moving from London to Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC and Kyoto, and it uses basic links such as “Then” and “Overall.” However, the information is presented as one long paragraph, so the overview and detailed comparisons are not separated. Several transitions are abrupt, and some sentences combine multiple facts without making their relationships clear—for example, the discussion of Paris shifts from its route length to passenger numbers in a fragment. The final comment that the sheet is “very informative” does not provide a useful summary of the data. Grouping the cities by notable features and using clear overview and detail paragraphs would make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary such as “underground railway system,” “route,” “kilometers,” and “passengers per year,” which allows the reader to recognise the subject and many of the comparisons. However, the range is limited and some expressions are imprecise or repetitive. “This sheet” is not a natural way to refer to the table, while “on 2nd in the list from the top” and “shortest in route” are awkward descriptions. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “kilomteres,” “pessesngers,” and “systrems,” and “millions passengers” is an inaccurate collocation. Use standard data-reporting language and check spelling and plural forms to make the information more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect information using clauses such as “which are included in this sheet” and “which is about 1927 millions per year,” but most sentences rely on simple patterns, and several longer constructions are difficult to follow. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are inconsistent: “Then Washington DC, opened in 1976. about 126 kilometers long” is not a complete, well-formed sentence. Other examples include “Paris is on 2nd in the list” and “Higher in number of passengers by london,” where the grammatical relationships are unclear. Articles, agreement and plural forms also need attention, as in “a highest number.” Practise writing complete sentences that report one or two related figures, with accurate punctuation and clear comparisons.

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