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 produce information about the undeground railway systems in six different cities namely London,Paris,Tokyo,Washinhton DC,Kyoto and Los Angles.

Overall it is clear first railways system opened in London and last in Los angles moreover,london have highest figure of kilometers of route in contrast Los angles demonstrates the lowest kilometers Tokyo had highest passenger per year wheares Kyoto had smallest number of passengers.

The first railway system begins in london in 1863 which had 394 kilometers of route and passengers per year 775 million per year by followed in paris railways sytem start in 1900 after few years of london's which had 199 kilometers of route and passenger per year high than the london were 1191.

In 1927 tokyo railways system opened who had 155 kilometers of route and passengers per year is 1927 which shows the largest number of passengers .Other cities have the approximately

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the broad patterns: London’s system opened earliest and has the longest route, while Tokyo carries the most passengers and Kyoto the fewest. However, the report is incomplete and addresses the table only partially. It gives no figures or comparisons for Washington DC, Kyoto, or Los Angeles beyond the overview, and the final sentence, “Other cities have the approximately,” is unfinished. Some details are also inaccurate: Paris’s 1,191 million passengers is described as “high than the london,” although it is higher, and the overview calls Los Angeles the lowest in route length without noting Kyoto’s shorter 11 km. The response is also four words below the required minimum. Include all six cities and accurately select key comparisons to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the older systems. The overview also helps the reader see some key comparisons before the details. However, progression is limited because the report stops partway through its comparison of the cities, ending with “Other cities have the approximately.” Linking is sometimes mechanical or unclear: “moreover” joins overview points that would be clearer as separate comparisons, while “by followed in paris” does not clearly connect the sequence of dates. Group the information more deliberately—for example, compare the three older systems together and then the newer ones—and use clear transitions such as “By contrast” or “In terms of passenger numbers.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a table, including “railway system,” “kilometers of route,” “highest figure,” and “passengers per year.” This gives the response a basic range suited to the topic. However, vocabulary is repetitive, and several word-choice or spelling errors make parts difficult to understand: “undeground,” “Washinhton,” and “Los Angles” are misspelled, while “high than” and “have the approximately” are not appropriate expressions. Use accurate comparative language and vary the phrasing for figures and trends. For example, “carried the most passengers” is more natural than repeatedly saying a city “had” a passenger number. Check city names and common data-reporting collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, including an overview with several comparisons. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. For example, “The table produce information” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, and “The first railway system begins in london in 1863 which had…” shifts tense and creates an unclear sentence structure. The final clause, “Other cities have the approximately,” is incomplete. Articles, punctuation, and sentence boundaries also need attention, as in “first railways system” and the run-on opening overview. Use the past tense consistently for opening dates and divide long comparisons into complete, clearly punctuated sentences.

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