Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-17
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 below chart gives information about the railway systems in underground in six cities.
First of all, In London city, underground railway systems opened in 1863 and 394 kilometers of route also 775 millions passengers per year travel. In Paris, underground railway systems opened in 1900 and 199 kilometers of route and also 1191 millions passengers travel per year. moreover, In Tokyo, opened in 1927 and 155 kilometers of route and 1927 millions passengers travel per years.
Secondly, there are least passengers travel in Washington DC year of 1976 and also 126 kilometers of route. On the other hand, In Kyoto city, there are 45 millions passengers travel per year and lowest kilometers of route that is 11 in 1981. Lastly, In 2001 city of Los Angeles, there are 50 millions passengers are travel in per year of 28 kilometers of route. the highest passengers travel in Tokyo year of 1927 and 1927 millions of passengers per year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the task by reporting on all six cities and the three categories provided. However, the presentation is largely a list of data points rather than a summary of main features or meaningful comparisons. While you mention the highest and lowest figures, the analysis lacks a clear overview of the trends or relationships between the age of the systems and their usage. To improve, focus on grouping the data (e.g., older vs. newer systems) and highlighting significant patterns rather than listing every detail for each city individually.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organized into two paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The use of cohesive devices like 'First of all', 'moreover', and 'Secondly' is mechanical and often misused, as they do not effectively link the ideas. The referencing is also unclear; for example, 'In 2001 city of Los Angeles' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. The internal structure of the sentences is repetitive, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between cities. Improving the use of linking words and varying sentence structure would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on the words provided in the prompt (e.g., 'kilometers of route', 'passengers per year'). There are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, such as '775 millions passengers' (should be '775 million passengers') and 'there are least passengers travel'. The phrasing is often unnatural, which hinders the precision of your report. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'commuters', 'extensive network', or 'annual ridership', and ensure correct pluralization and word order.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('there are least passengers travel'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward sentence construction ('there are 50 millions passengers are travel in per year'). The range of structures is very limited, consisting mostly of simple, repetitive clauses. There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and punctuation is inconsistent. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence patterns, ensuring correct verb forms, and avoiding redundant words like 'in' or 'of' where they are not needed.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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