Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-14
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 given table illustrates the structured information about underground railway systems in 6 cities based on thier passenger count per year, kilometer in route, date opened e.t.c.
The oldest railway system among these is London which was opened in the year 1863, a timeless beauty whereas the most recent one is Los Angeles railway system which was established in the year 2001.Among all these systems kyoyo is the smallest with only 11 kilometer in route and 45 million passenger per year which is nearly 40 times less than london system in kilometers which is 394km and approximately 42 times less than tokyo in passenegr count which is 1927 millions.
Paris system is the second highest in both footfall and kilometer coverage.Among all these stations Washington DC has the most optimal no of 126 kilometer of system with 144 million footfall which is well balanced and properly crowded in comparison with other systems.
In my overview Washtion DC is the most balanced system neither too crowded nor less, while Tokyo being the poorly planned system due to excess footfall.
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 student covers all parts of the prompt by presenting the main features of the underground railway systems across the six cities, including dates opened, route lengths, and passenger numbers. Comparisons are made between cities, such as noting that London is the oldest and Tokyo has the highest passenger count. However, the response includes inappropriate subjective evaluation and speculation, such as describing London as a "timeless beauty" and Washington DC as "properly crowded" or Tokyo as a "poorly planned system". In Academic Task 1, candidates must report factual data objectively without offering personal opinions or interpretations. Due to this inappropriate tone and lack of purely objective reporting, the task response is limited to a Band 5.5 level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organised into multiple paragraphs, attempting an introduction, body details, and an overview/conclusion. However, the progression is somewhat disjointed due to erratic paragraph breaks and informal linking. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes mechanically applied, such as "Among all these systems" and "In my overview". Referencing is occasionally unclear, and punctuation issues (such as missing capitalisation on proper nouns like "kyoyo" and "Washtion DC") disrupt the smooth flow of the text. Overall, the arrangement displays basic coherence, but logical progression and paragraphing lack the control required for higher bands, placing it firmly at a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a limited but minimally adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like "railway system", "passenger count", and "route". However, there are numerous spelling errors and typos throughout the text, including "thier", "e.t.c.", "kyoyo", "passenegr", and "Washtion DC". Furthermore, inappropriate lexical choices for a formal academic report are present, such as "timeless beauty" and "footfall" used interchangeably for annual passengers. These noticeable errors and lexical limitations cause some distraction for the reader, fitting the descriptors for Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and comparative forms (e.g., "which was opened in the year 1863..." and "which is nearly 40 times less than london system"). However, control over grammar and punctuation is weak. There are frequent errors, including missing capital letters, run-on sentences lacking proper punctuation (e.g., "...established in the year 2001.Among all these..."), and preposition errors ("kilometer in route"). While communication is not entirely obscured, the high frequency of grammatical slips restricts the score to Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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