Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-13
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 chart compared various underground railway stations from 6 towns about opening dates and number of passengers taken though many routs.
Overall, it is clearly seen that London had the oldest railway system and also the highest route travelled than others. Whereas the most of the passenger travelled through Tokyo railway station, the least carried through Los Angeles and Kyoto.
Analysing the data, Tokyo recorded the majority of the passengers, at 1927 million, going through 155 kilometres. This railway tracks was opened in just 27 years after Paris. Which was constructed in 1900 taking roughly 800 million people more than Tokyo, travelling just 44 kilometres, this making it the second longest railway system.
Furthermore, London constructed in 1863, with traveling 349 kilometres of distance, it clearly had the longest railway lines, attracting significant number of passenger at 775 million. This substantially higher than the remaining three: Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles. Passengers travelling through Washington station recorded more than doubled numbers of people than either stations, with 144 millions and 126 kilometres.
The Kyoto and Los Angeles station originated in 1981 and 2001 respectively, indicating far more gap than other stations. These two station had the least passengers attraction and travelling routs, whereas Kyoto accounted for only 11 kilometres long taking just only 45 millions, which was 5 million more than Los Angles, covering 28 kilometres.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all key features of the table, including dates, routes, and passenger numbers, making appropriate comparisons across the six cities. However, there are several factual inaccuracies in the data reporting and interpretation. For instance, the student states that Tokyo had 1,927 million passengers traveling through 155 kilometers, but incorrectly claims Paris was constructed in 1900 taking roughly 800 million people more than Tokyo. Furthermore, London's route length is stated as 394 in the table, but the student writes 349 kilometers. Despite these data interpretation errors, an overview is provided, and the main trends are addressed. This places the response firmly within Band 5.5 to 6.0, as it addresses the task adequately but contains noticeable inaccuracies in reporting specific figures.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is structured into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group data logically by cities. However, the progression between ideas is sometimes awkward, and cohesive devices are used mechanically or incorrectly (e.g., 'Whereas the most of the passenger travelled through Tokyo railway station, the least carried through Los Angeles and Kyoto' and 'Which was constructed in 1900'). Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion suffers from faulty referencing and confusing clause structures. These issues place the response at a Band 5.0, as the overall arrangement is clear in intent, but cohesion is frequently faulty and mechanical.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student attempts a range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task, such as 'originated', 'substantially higher', and 'respectively'. However, there are frequent inappropriate word choices and collocations, such as 'table chart' (table), 'railway stations from 6 towns' (cities), 'passengers taken though many routs' (routes), and 'least passengers attraction'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but vocabulary limitations and awkward phrasing frequently impede smooth reading. This performance corresponds to a Band 5.0, as the lexical range is limited and noticeable errors occur in word choice.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many complex attempts are grammatically faulty. Examples include fragment sentences and participle errors like 'Which was constructed in 1900 taking roughly 800 million people more than Tokyo' and 'London constructed in 1863, with traveling 349 kilometres of distance, it clearly had...'. There are also frequent issues with prepositions, articles, and verb forms ('least carried through', 'more doubled numbers'). While meaning is usually retrievable, frequent grammatical errors cause difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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