Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-25

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 demonstrate the information of underground railway system of six cities of different countries. If we compare the data from 1863 to 2001 there is a huge decline in number of passengers which are in millions. The route of railway was long in London city than other cities and it had 775 million passengers who were travelled while in Paris the route was half in distance but it had more passengers. In Tokyo, the route was shorter than Paris but number of passengers was amazed that was greater compared to all countries. If we compare Washington DC with rest of the countries the route was reasonable long but there were a very less passengers who were travelling. Kyoto had a very short route compared to other countries and also had less number of passengers. At the end Los Angeles also had short route and less number of travelers. So, the railway system of Tokyo was very successful.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response identifies the main features of the table, such as the oldest and newest systems and the highest passenger numbers. However, the analysis is flawed; for instance, the claim that there is a 'huge decline in number of passengers' from 1863 to 2001 is factually incorrect based on the data provided. Furthermore, the report lacks a clear overview or summary of the trends, and the comparison between cities is somewhat superficial. While all cities are mentioned, the lack of accurate data interpretation and the absence of a cohesive summary limit the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is presented as a single paragraph, which is not ideal for an IELTS Task 1 report. While there is a logical attempt to move from city to city, the transitions are mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'In Tokyo...', 'If we compare...', 'At the end...'). The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes awkward, which makes the flow of information feel disjointed. To improve, the student should group related data points into distinct paragraphs and use a wider variety of linking words to connect comparisons more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive, relying heavily on simple descriptors like 'short', 'long', and 'less'. There are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'passengers who were travelled' (should be 'passengers who travelled') and 'number of passengers was amazed' (should be 'was amazing' or 'was impressive'). The range of vocabulary is insufficient to convey the data with precision, and the misuse of terms occasionally hinders the clarity of the comparisons being made.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentences, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement ('The table demonstrate'), article usage ('in London city'), and awkward passive constructions ('passengers who were travelled'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structures are often clunky. While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

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

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