Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-07

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 4.0)

Showing report of Underground Railway System tell that London in 863 train travel 394 km and passengers travel are 775 compare to Paris which opened in 1990 train route up to 199 kilometer which is more than London . Tokyo is country which have more passengers more than in all mentioned countries have 1927 passengers . I t travel 155 km in year . Lowest passenger is in Los Angeles which travel 28 km and have 50 passengers . In this report every year only Tokyo was who have a lot of passengers to travel than Los Angeles and London . Every year passenger from far places come to travel her and enjoy their route whole other have low amount and can't gain passengers which is although good strategy and good work due to which train earn only in one year it gain huge amount of people tp travel .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response attempts to summarise the data but fails to provide a clear overview or accurately report the main features. There are significant factual errors, such as stating Paris opened in 1990 (the table says 1900) and misinterpreting the data for Tokyo and Los Angeles. The comparison between cities is superficial and lacks the necessary analytical depth required for an Academic Task 1 response. The inclusion of subjective commentary about 'good strategy' and 'enjoy their route' is irrelevant to the task of reporting data. To improve, focus on accurately transcribing the figures and identifying clear trends, such as the relationship between the age of the system and the number of passengers.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response lacks logical organization and paragraphing. The ideas are presented in a disjointed manner, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between cities. Cohesive devices are either missing or used incorrectly, such as the repetitive and awkward use of 'every year' and 'which is'. There is no clear progression of information; the text jumps between cities without a structured approach. To improve, use clear paragraph breaks to separate the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs, and use linking words like 'in contrast', 'whereas', or 'similarly' to connect ideas logically.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary is very limited and repetitive, often relying on basic phrasing that does not accurately describe the data. There are frequent errors in word choice, such as 'Tokyo is country' (referring to a city) and 'travel her' (likely meant 'here'). The range of vocabulary is insufficient to convey the information with precision. To improve, learn specific terminology for describing data, such as 'commenced operations', 'annual passenger volume', 'route length', and 'surpassed'. Avoid informal or conversational language that is not appropriate for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that often impede communication. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Tokyo... have 1927 passengers'), incorrect verb tenses, and missing articles. Sentence structures are simple and often fragmented, lacking the complexity required for higher bands. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before periods. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring that subjects and verbs agree and that tenses are used consistently when describing historical data. Review the use of articles and prepositions to improve the overall clarity of your writing.

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

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