Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 shows the information about the underground railway system in six cities. the table shows the date opened , kilometres of route and passengers per year of underground railway system . Between the six cities, London is the first city to launch the underground railway system . Also london has the longest route among the six cities. but in term of passengers london is in the 3rd place 775 million passengers per year . paris introduce underground railway system in 1900 with the 2nd longest route of 199 kilometres .In addition paris is also in the 2nd position with 1191 million passengers per years .Tokyo introduced in 1927 and Washington DC introduced in 1976 .tokyo has route of 155 kilometres and Washington DC has 126 kilometres route . but in terms of passengers tokyo has the highest among the six cities with 1927 million passengers per year , where Washington DC has 144 million passengers per year . kyoto and LA has the lowest route with only 11 and 28 kilometres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important comparisons, including London as the oldest system with the longest route, and Tokyo as having the highest annual passenger figure. You also report figures for Paris and Washington DC. However, the overview is not clearly separated or fully developed, and some key information is omitted: Kyoto and Los Angeles are not compared by passenger numbers, and the response does not clearly highlight that London’s route is much longer than the others despite its lower passenger total than Tokyo and Paris. Some descriptions are also imprecise, such as calling London third for passengers without explaining the ranking. A clearer overview followed by complete, accurate comparisons across all six cities would make the report more fully address the task.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The information is generally grouped by cities, and linking expressions such as “Also,” “In addition,” and “but in terms of passengers” show an attempt to connect comparisons. However, the response reads largely as one continuous sequence, with no clear paragraphing or overall progression from an overview to supporting details. Several transitions are repetitive or awkward, and the repeated pattern of naming a city and then adding figures makes the report feel list-like. For example, London and Paris are discussed first, followed by Tokyo and Washington, then Kyoto and Los Angeles, but the final pair is left without a complete comparison. Organising the response into an overview and two comparison-focused paragraphs would make the relationships between the figures clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “longest route,” “introduced,” “position,” and “passengers per year,” so the main information is usually understandable. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. “Launch the underground railway system” and “introduce underground railway system” are less natural than “open” or “begin operating,” while “in the 3rd place” is an awkward way to describe a ranking. The repeated use of “route” and “introduced” also limits variety. There are spelling and capitalisation slips, including “london,” “paris,” and “tokyo”; these affect written presentation. More precise reporting verbs and comparison phrases would improve flexibility and clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates its main comparisons through mostly simple sentence patterns, with a few attempts to link clauses using “but” and “where.” However, the range of structures is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward. For example, “London is the first city to launch” uses an unsuitable tense for a historical event, and “Paris introduce underground railway system in 1900” has an incorrect verb form and missing article. There are also problems with sentence boundaries and punctuation, such as the run-on transition from the Paris sentence to Tokyo. Practise accurate past-tense reporting, articles, subject–verb agreement, and full stops, then combine ideas in a controlled range of complex sentences.

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