Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 data about the underground railway system in six cities.

Overall, it is evident that oldest underground cities had largest passengers per year rather than the new cities.

In 1863, London had the largest passengers underground railway system with 394 kilometers of route, while in 1927 Tokyo was second largest passengers underground railway system with 199 kilometers of route, and Paris was third largest system with 155 kilometers of route.

Furthermore, in 1976, Washington DC is more extensive passenger with 126 kilometers of route, compared to Kyoto 11 kilometers of route, and 28 kilometer for the Los Angeles. Los angeles is newest system, having opened in 2001, while kyoto smallest metwork

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the ability to fully develop the response. While you have identified some key features, the analysis is incomplete. You have misread the data in several places, for example, stating London had the largest number of passengers when the table shows Tokyo has the highest (1927 million). Furthermore, the comparison between route length and passenger numbers is confused. To improve, ensure you accurately transcribe data from the table and provide a more comprehensive overview of all six cities, ensuring the summary covers the main trends rather than just listing isolated figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organized into short paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The use of cohesive devices like 'Furthermore' and 'while' is present but often used incorrectly or to link unrelated points. The final sentence is fragmented and lacks a clear connection to the previous ideas. To improve, focus on grouping the cities logically—perhaps by those with the longest routes versus those with the highest passenger numbers—and use transition words to clearly signal comparisons and contrasts between these groups.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. You frequently use the word 'system' and 'route' without much variation. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'oldest underground cities had largest passengers,' which is not a natural way to express the relationship between the age of a system and its usage. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more precise terminology such as 'annual ridership,' 'extensive network,' 'commenced operations,' or 'surpassed.' Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and nouns will help convey the data more accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with article usage ('the oldest,' 'the largest'), subject-verb agreement ('Washington DC is more extensive passenger'), and sentence structure (the final sentence is incomplete). You rely mostly on simple sentence structures. To improve, practice using complex sentences with subordinating conjunctions (e.g., 'Although London opened in 1863, it is surpassed in annual ridership by Tokyo'). Pay closer attention to basic punctuation and ensure every sentence has a clear subject and verb.

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

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