Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-25

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)

In the table, there is information given on the underground railway system in different countries. In the table Tokyo has the most passengers per year then any other county on the table .

In the table there is a city name London that open his underground railway systems in 1863 at kilometers route of 394 that has passenger capacity of 775 million per year. In the table Tokoyo railway system has a huge capacity then any other train having a capacity of taking 1927 million passengers per year on a journey of 155 kilometers.

In the table, London has the highest route then any underground railway system.In the table, we can compare that the passengers in paris and tokyo is more then any railway train even it was made after london railway system.

In the table theere is also washington dc railway system that is made after the london , paris ,and tokyo and still it has a lower number of passengers then these contry . And also there is two countries at the end like kyoto and los angeles that have newer underground railway system that is developing and not yet be so big then other railway systems.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to address the task by reporting information from the table regarding underground railway systems. Some main features are mentioned, such as Tokyo having the most passengers per year (1927 million) and London having the earliest opening date (1863) and the longest route (394 km). However, the response lacks a clear overview or comprehensive summary, and some of the data comparisons are inaccurate or confused, such as stating that Tokyo has a huge capacity 'then any other train' instead of system. Furthermore, terms like 'country' are incorrectly used to refer to cities like Tokyo, London, and Washington DC. The development of ideas is limited and repetitive, which aligns with the Band 5 descriptor.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The text is divided into four paragraphs, which shows an attempt to structure the response. However, the progression of ideas is weak and repetitive, with almost every sentence starting with phrases like 'In the table'. Cohesive devices are either missing, inadequate, or repetitive, making the flow mechanical and sometimes difficult to follow. Referencing is also problematic, as seen in expressions like 'open his underground railway systems' and mixing up cities and countries. While there is some organizational structure, the overall lack of logical progression and poor transitional flow place this writing firmly in the Band 4 to 5 range, leaning towards a Band 4.5, but rounded to 4.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.0

The student demonstrates a very basic and limited vocabulary range, frequently repeating words such as 'table', 'system', 'railway', 'capacity', and 'passengers'. There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors throughout, such as referring to cities as 'countries' ('any other county', 'these contry') and using 'route' incorrectly ('at kilometers route of 394', 'highest route'). Spelling errors also occur, such as 'Tokoyo', 'paris', and 'theere'. These errors cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a vocabulary range that is minimally adequate for the task, fitting the Band 4 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

The response features a very limited range of grammatical structures. The student relies heavily on simple and repetitive sentence patterns, often linked awkwardly with conjunctions. There are frequent and systematic errors in tense usage, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, such as 'that open his underground railway', 'is more then any railway train', 'that is made after', and 'not yet be so big then other'. Punctuation is also careless, with misplaced spaces before periods and commas. Because errors are frequent, distort meaning in places, and restrict the sentence structures to mostly flawed attempts at complexity, a Band 4 is appropriate.

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