Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-04

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)

Now I want to talk about the underground railway systems in six cities. This table show me the railway system of six cities London, Paris, Tokyo, Washingt on DC, Kyoto, Los Angeles.

Firstly, I want to talk about first 3 cities the date of London railway station opened is 1863 and the kilometers of route of this station is 394 and the number of passengers per year is 775 millions. In the Paris the opening date of station is 1900 and the kilometers of rout is 199 and the number of the travelers in year is 1191 million. Tokyo railway station is opened in 1927 and the kilometers of route is 155 and the number of passengers is 1927 millions in year.

Secondly, Washingt on DC railway station opening date is 1979 and in Kyoto railway wstation is opened in 1981 and the Los Angeles station is opened in 2001 and the kilometers of rout is 126, 11,28 and the passengers per year is in 144 million in Washngt on Dc and in Kyoto the number of travelers is 45 millions and 50 million in Los Angeles.

The station of London, Paris and Tokyo is very popular than others three and the routs and the number of passengers is higher in this written stations.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the task by reporting on the provided data, but it lacks a clear overview of the main trends. The information is presented as a list of facts rather than a summary, and the comparisons are weak. For example, stating that some cities are 'very popular' is vague and does not effectively compare the significant differences in passenger numbers or route lengths. The response fails to highlight the most striking features, such as the contrast between the oldest, longest-running systems and the newer, smaller ones. To improve, you should group data logically and provide a clear summary statement that captures the overall patterns in the data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is mechanical and repetitive. The use of cohesive devices is limited to basic transitions like 'Firstly' and 'Secondly', which are used somewhat awkwardly. Referencing is often unclear, such as in the final paragraph where 'this written stations' is grammatically incorrect and confusing. The flow between sentences is disjointed, making the text feel like a series of isolated statements rather than a cohesive report. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear pronoun usage would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive, relying heavily on the words provided in the prompt. There are several spelling errors, such as 'rout' instead of 'route' and 'Washingt on' instead of 'Washington'. The phrasing is often unnatural, for instance, 'the number of the travelers in year' and 'the station of London... is very popular'. There is little attempt to use a wider range of vocabulary or to demonstrate precision in describing data. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more varied synonyms for 'opened', 'passengers', and 'kilometers', and focus on accurate spelling and word formation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a high frequency of grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are frequent issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'This table show me' and 'The station of London, Paris and Tokyo is'. Articles are often misused or omitted, and sentence structures are overly simple. The attempt to list data in the second paragraph ('126, 11, 28') is poorly integrated into the sentence structure, leading to confusion. While the meaning is generally understandable, the lack of control over basic grammar and the absence of complex sentence structures limit the score. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors is essential.

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

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