Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-19
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 demostrates the information about trains network built underground in London, Tokyo, Paris, Washington DC, Kyoto, Los Angeles.
Overall, it can be observed at a glance that London has the oldest and vastest infrastructure of railway while Kyoto has very small network of trains and Los Angeles has earliest underground train system opened.
Firstly, London has oldest underground network opened in 1863 with 394 Km in lenght which carry 775 millions pessengers each year. After London, Paris build also build under ground railway network in 1900 which is about half in lenght to london (199 km) and it carry 1191 travelors yearly. Following this, Tokyo in 1917, built 155 km long network of trains that carry highest number of pesssengers (1927 millions annually).
Washington DC, in 1979, also built underground railways system with 126 km distance and carry
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarise the main features of the table, covering cities like London, Paris, Tokyo, and Washington DC. The student provides an overview in the second paragraph mentioning key extremes such as London having the oldest and largest infrastructure. However, the response is incomplete as it cuts off mid-sentence in the final paragraph regarding Washington DC. Furthermore, the word count is 139 words, failing to meet the minimum requirement of 150 words. There are also some data inaccuracies, such as stating that Los Angeles opened earliest (it actually opened last in 2001) and incorrect dates for Tokyo. These factors limit the score to a band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a basic structure, starting with an introductory sentence, followed by an overview paragraph, and then breaking into body details using basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'After London', and 'Following this'. However, overall progression is disrupted because the essay ends abruptly mid-sentence, leaving the final body paragraph unfinished. Paragraphing is attempted, but the incomplete nature of the writing prevents a fully coherent arrangement. Cohesive devices are somewhat repetitive and mechanical. Based on these features, the response aligns best with band 5.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting words such as 'infrastructure', 'annually', and 'pessengers'. However, there are numerous spelling errors throughout the text, including 'demostrates', 'vastest', 'lenght', 'pessengers', 'travelors', and 'under ground'. Word choice and collocations are occasionally awkward, such as 'vastest infrastructure of railway' and 'earliest underground train system opened' applied to Los Angeles. The limited control over word spelling and precision keeps the lexical resource score at band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using relative clauses and time markers like 'which carry 775 millions pessengers each year'. However, grammar and punctuation control is weak, marked by frequent errors such as subject-verb agreement issues ('London has oldest', 'Paris build also build'), missing prepositions, and incorrect verb tenses or historical dates. Because the response is also cut off abruptly, the range of grammatical structures is restricted. These frequent errors correspond to a band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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