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)

The table illustrates the information of underground railway system in six different cities and the range of routes and passegenrs it takes in millions per year.

Overall, from the table it is clear that the routes of older underground railway systems like London,Paris and Tokyo were the largest and spreaded thougout the country ad can carry more people while the recent railway systems like Wahsington dc , Kyoto and Los angeles routes are smallest and also carry lese people.

The london railway os opened for people in 1863 and route was the largest , 394km long and carried 775 million people per year while the paris opening was in 1999 and 199km long and carried 1191 million people er year. However the tokyo was the recorded the highest people carried er year which is 1927 million and ws opened in 1927 and 155km stretched.

the kyoto railways was the smallest among them which was 11km in length and carried almost 25 million people per year while the washington took 144 milion er year.

if we look at the trend at first the routes were the longest and i think due to the limition of cars people prefer to travel by train that could be the reason the train system get affected.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad contrast between older and newer systems and include several relevant figures, such as London’s 394 km route and Tokyo’s 1,927 million annual passengers. However, the summary is only partially accurate and developed: Paris opened in 1900, not 1999, and Kyoto carries 45 million passengers, not “almost 25 million.” The overview also overgeneralises that the older systems “can carry more people,” although Paris and Tokyo have higher passenger totals than London, and the table gives no evidence about capacity or travel preferences. Include the key comparisons accurately, especially that London has the longest route, Tokyo the most passengers, and Kyoto the shortest route and lowest passenger figure. Avoid adding explanations not supported by the table.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs giving details. This helps the reader identify the topic and some comparisons. However, progression is not consistently clear. The final paragraph begins “if we look at the trend” but introduces speculation about cars rather than summarising a pattern in the data. Some details are also presented in a confusing order, and the comparison between London and Paris is joined in a long sentence with “while.” Use paragraphs to group the main features—for example, route length and passenger numbers—and use linking phrases such as “By contrast” only where the figures support a contrast. Clearer sequencing and more precise referencing would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “routes,” “opened,” “carried,” and “in length,” so the subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “the information of,” “spreaded throughout the country,” and “the range of routes.” Spelling errors—including “passegenrs,” “thougout,” and “limition”—also make parts of the response harder to read. Choose precise terms for describing a table: systems “opened” in a year, routes “measured” a certain distance, and systems “served” or “carried” a number of passengers. Check spelling carefully and avoid unsupported expressions such as “throughout the country,” since the table only reports route length.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including a comparison using “while” and a relative clause in “which was 11km in length.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in sentence structure, verb forms, articles, and agreement. For example, “The london railway os opened” has an incorrect verb form, while “the tokyo was the recorded” has an unnecessary article and faulty construction. The sentence beginning “Overall, from the table…” also contains several clauses that are difficult to control. Practise forming accurate comparison sentences with a clear subject and verb, such as “London’s system opened in 1863 and has the longest route.” Check capitalization and punctuation as part of proofreading.

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

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