Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-10
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 4.5)
As far as this table is concerned, the given table table shows information about the underground railway system in six cities.
Overall, it is clear that there are listings of the cities in the table and the table is divided into four categories. These four categories are city, date opened, kilometers of route and passengers per year (in millions).
At the beginning of the table, London is mentioned in the category of city, next column to the London is the date when it was opened. It was opened in 1863. the next column shows the information about of kilometers of route which are 394. The next column to the kilometers of route is the passengers per year (in millions) which is 775 of London. The next city or you can say the second city mentioned in the table is the Paris and it's Underground Railway Systems were opened in 1863, kilometers of route are 394 and Passengers per year (in millions) are 1191. The third city is the Tokyo and it's Underground Railway Systems were opened in 1927, kilometers of route are 155 and Passengers per year (in millions) are 1927. The fourth city is Washington DC and it's Underground Railway Systems were opened in 1976, kilometers of route are 126 and Passengers per year (in millions) are 144. The fifth city in the table is Kyoto and it's Underground Railway Systems were opened in 1981, kilometers of route are 11 and Passengers per year (in millions) are 45. The sixth city in the table is Los Angeles and it's Underground Railway Systems were opened in 2001, kilometers of route are 28 and Passengers per year (in millions) are 50.
In conclusion, the table presents the information regarding the underground railway systems of different cities, showing maximum and minimum number of passengers per year (in millions), their kilometers of route and there opening dates. The maximum number of passengers per year (in millions) are of Tokyo and the least number of passengers per year(in millions) are of Kyoto, and the kilometers of route of London are highest, whereas Kyoto consists of least kilometers of route.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to effectively summarize the data. Instead of selecting and reporting main features and making comparisons, the student provides a repetitive, list-like description of each city's data row by row. This approach is mechanical and lacks the analytical overview required for an Academic Task 1. While the student does identify the maximum and minimum values in the conclusion, the body paragraphs do not group or compare the data meaningfully (e.g., comparing older systems like London/Paris with newer ones like LA/Kyoto). The response lacks a clear, concise summary of trends, which is essential for a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5
The organization is highly repetitive and mechanical. The student uses a rigid, formulaic structure to describe each city individually, which hinders the flow of information. Cohesive devices are limited and often misused, such as the repetitive use of 'The next column to...' and 'The next city...'. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the body paragraph is essentially a list of data points rather than a coherent analysis. The lack of logical progression between ideas makes the text feel disjointed and monotonous to read.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.5
The vocabulary is very basic and repetitive. The student relies heavily on the language provided in the prompt (e.g., 'kilometers of route', 'passengers per year', 'underground railway systems'). There is little attempt to use a wider range of vocabulary or to paraphrase the data categories. Phrases like 'you can say the second city' are informal and inappropriate for an academic report. The lack of variety in reporting verbs and descriptive language limits the ability to convey the information with precision or sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The response contains frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'it's Underground Railway Systems were opened', 'the maximum number of passengers... are of Tokyo'). There are also issues with article usage and punctuation. The sentence structures are predominantly simple or repetitive, with little evidence of complex sentence forms. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and the lack of structural variety significantly impact the quality of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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