Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-21
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 data shows about the six cities underground railway system which includes the routes in km, passengers per year and the date of opening.
Initially I am disussing the London railway system which was opened in 1863 includes the route of 394 km of distance and the passengers about 775M per year.Now I am discusssing the four railway sytstems that were built in 20th century including Paris,Tokyo,Washington DC and Kyoto and we can see that the kilometers of route decreases as the opening of the latest ones in the 20th century.We can easily see the drastic rise in passengers per year in the 1927 and then see the drastic fall followed by Washington DC and Kyoto.The Los Angeles railway station was opened in 2001 of about 28 kilometers and a pasenger capcity of 50M.
In conclusion we can see that the London railway had highest kilometer and passsenger carring capacity while Kyoto railway has the lowest kilometers of route and passengers carring capacity.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to cover the main features of the table, noting the earliest system (London, 1863), the most recent (Los Angeles, 2001), and making some general comparisons regarding route lengths and passenger numbers. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and imprecise interpretations of the data. For instance, the claim that route kilometers decrease as we move into the 20th century is inaccurate when examining cities like Tokyo and Paris against Washington DC, and the statement about a 'drastic rise in passengers per year in the 1927' confuses the date with passenger volume. Furthermore, the overview lacks precision and misses key comparative highlights, placing this response at Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is divided into three paragraphs, providing a basic structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, the progression of ideas is hindered by a conversational and narrative style that lacks academic cohesion, such as 'Initially I am disussing' and 'Now I am discusssing'. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes repetitive. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of ideas in the main body is somewhat disorganized, combining multiple cities and comparisons without clear logical signposting, resulting in a Band 5.0 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate to convey basic information about dates, distances, and passenger numbers, but it is heavily limited and repetitive (using terms like 'railway system', 'kilometers of route', and 'passengers per year' repeatedly). There are noticeable spelling errors (e.g., 'disussing', 'discusssing', 'sytstems', 'carring') and awkward phrasing such as 'passenger capcity' and 'highest kilometer'. These limitations restrict the vocabulary to a Band 5.0 level, as precision and range are lacking.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are run-on sentences and awkward clauses, such as 'The Los Angeles railway station was opened in 2001 of about 28 kilometers and a pasenger capcity of 50M.' Grammatical errors, inappropriate prepositions ('of about 28 kilometers'), and missing articles are frequent. Although the meaning can generally be understood, the frequency of errors places this response firmly at Band 5.0.
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