Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-31

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 illustrates the information about the underground railway systems in different cities namely, London, Paris, Tokyo, Washin gton DC, Kyoto, Los Angeles.

overall, first opened railway system was London the log angeles was recently opened . The highest kilometers of route has London while lowest has Kyoto wheares, the passengers are more in per year at Tokyo cities and the less at Kyoto cities.

The London was first cities to opened railway systems in 1863 at 394 kilometers of route with 775 millions of passenger per year, followed by the Paris has also opened in 1900 at 199 kilometers of way around 1191 people this is highest people in per years. Tokyo have start in 1927 nearly 155 km of road and approximately 1927 passengers within 1 years.

Others three county have low passenger then first three cities. The Washin gton DC opened in 1976 at 126 kilometers of route passenger per years in millions around 144. Kyoto and Los Angeles was opened 1981 and 2001 these both have near route 11 km and 28 km, these both cities has low millions of passenger at 45 and 50 respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the table, such as the oldest and newest systems and the extremes in route length and passenger numbers. However, the response lacks precision in data reporting. For example, you state Tokyo has '1927 passengers', whereas the table indicates '1927 million'. This is a significant inaccuracy. Additionally, while you make some comparisons, the analysis is somewhat superficial. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are accurately transcribed and that comparisons are more analytical rather than just listing figures. The overview is present but could be more clearly integrated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'overall, first opened railway system was London the log angeles was recently opened'. The transition between sentences is sometimes abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear. For instance, 'Others three county have low passenger then first three cities' is grammatically awkward and lacks a smooth logical flow. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words (e.g., 'in contrast', 'consequently', 'furthermore') would significantly improve the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for higher bands. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as using 'county' instead of 'cities' and 'road' instead of 'route'. You also struggle with collocations, such as 'Tokyo have start' instead of 'Tokyo started'. While you attempt to use some descriptive language, the repetition of basic structures and the misuse of terms like 'millions of passenger' (should be 'millions of passengers') limit your score. Focus on learning the correct terminology for data reporting and improving your grasp of pluralisation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement ('Tokyo have start', 'these both cities has'), article usage ('The London was first cities'), and sentence structure. You rely heavily on simple sentences, and your attempts at complex structures often result in errors, such as 'the passengers are more in per year at Tokyo cities and the less at Kyoto cities'. To improve, you need to focus on basic sentence construction, correct verb tenses, and ensuring that your subjects and verbs agree.

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

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