Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-21

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 task below illustrates the information of different six urban underground railways systems

Overall, the table consists of 3 main stages .this table is man made where showing the railways system when it was opened ,kilometers of route and per passenger per year

Start from London city which was established on 1863 .it was 394 kilometers deep and have 775 million in 12 months

Second. Was the Paris city opened on 1900. Its around 199 kilometers underground and take 1191 passengers per year

While Tokyo railways established on 1927 around 155 deeper it takes 1927 million passenger per year

Where Washington DC opened on 1976 .take 144 million passenger per 12 month it railways 126kilometers under

Kyoto city railways opened in 1981 it only 11 kilometers deeper .it railways take only 45million massager per year

The last one is Los Angeles which established on 2001 it 28 kilometers deep and take 50million candidates per year

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the task by reporting the main features of the table. However, the overview is weak; it describes the table as 'man-made' and '3 stages' rather than summarizing the key trends or comparisons. The data is presented in a list-like fashion, city by city, rather than synthesizing the information. While all cities are mentioned, the lack of meaningful comparison (e.g., noting that Tokyo has the highest passenger volume despite a smaller route length) limits the score. The response provides the required data but lacks the analytical depth expected for an Academic Task 1 report.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response lacks effective paragraphing, appearing as a series of disjointed sentences. There is no clear logical progression between the points. Cohesive devices are either missing or used incorrectly, such as the repetitive use of 'it' and 'was' to start sentences. The transition between cities is mechanical, and the lack of linking words makes the text feel like a list of facts rather than a cohesive report. The overall structure is fragmented, which hinders the flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is very limited and often inaccurate. For example, the student uses 'deeper' to refer to the length of the route, which is incorrect; 'kilometers of route' is the correct term. The word 'candidates' is used to refer to passengers, which is inappropriate in this context. There is significant repetition of basic structures and vocabulary. The range is insufficient to convey the information with precision, and the misuse of technical terms like 'deeper' significantly impacts the clarity of the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors, including issues with subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, and sentence structure. Many sentences are fragments or run-on sentences, such as 'Second. Was the Paris city opened on 1900.' Punctuation is also problematic, with inconsistent capitalization and missing commas. There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and the errors are frequent enough to cause some difficulty for the reader. The control over basic grammar is inconsistent, and there is no evidence of a range of complex structures.

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