Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · 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 4.0)
The task below to give some information about the underground railway system in six cities. The underground system are most popular in whole world but the developing countries are also took knee interest in underground railway system . like Landon can build 394 Km routes in 1863 . He also travel 775 million people can use underground railway system. The Paris and Tokyo can also build 199 and 155 Km route in under ground railway system and also invest in 3118 passenger can travel one place to another place . The next three cities is Washington DC, Kyoto, Los Angles can build 165 meter route in it and million of the people can travelling in one year . The most popular six cities are also build Under ground railway system . It is help the people are going to office, and department . They are most popular in whole world and the other countries can also work in the railway project and bulids a new route
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to accurately report the data provided in the table. There are significant factual errors, such as claiming Washington DC, Kyoto, and Los Angeles have a '165 meter route' and miscalculating the passenger totals. The summary lacks a clear overview and fails to make meaningful comparisons between the cities. Instead of focusing on the provided data, the response includes irrelevant personal commentary about the popularity of underground systems. To improve, you must strictly report the figures given in the prompt and ensure that your comparisons are based on accurate data interpretation rather than general statements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0
The response lacks logical organization and progression. It is written as a single paragraph, which makes it difficult to follow. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link ideas, and the referencing is often unclear (e.g., 'He also travel' referring to London). The transition between the description of the first three cities and the last three is abrupt and lacks a clear structure. To improve, you should organize your report into clear paragraphs: an introduction, an overview of the main trends, and two body paragraphs detailing specific comparisons.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.0
The vocabulary is very limited and often misused. There are frequent errors in word choice, such as 'took knee interest' (likely meant 'keen interest') and 'bulids' (spelling error). The phrasing is repetitive and lacks the precision required for an Academic Task 1 report. You need to use more specific vocabulary related to data description, such as 'commenced operations,' 'totaled,' 'surpassed,' or 'accounted for.' Expanding your range of vocabulary and focusing on accurate spelling and collocation is essential for a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that often impede communication. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The underground system are,' 'The next three cities is'), incorrect verb tenses, and awkward sentence structures. The use of 'can' is over-relied upon to describe past events, which is grammatically incorrect. There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and the punctuation is inconsistent. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring subject-verb agreement, and using the correct tense when describing historical data.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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