Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-01
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 below illustrates the information about the underground railway system in different cities such as London,Paris,Tokyo,Washington DC,Kyoto,Los Angles etc.
Overall it can be observed that a significant number of people travelled on tokyo underground railway system while leasr passengers travelled on Kyoto underground railway system.
According to the table,in a London city the underground system was established in 1863.it tracks 394 km of routes and there were 775 passengers travelled per year.while the underground railway system in paris was constructed in 1900 and the total length of route is 199.there were 1191 people travelled by this route in a paris city.In contrast the underground railway system in Tokyo was established in 1927 and it covered almost 155km of route.A significant number of people travelled in Tokyo that was about 1927.
moving furthur Washington DC railway system was built in 1976 and covered 11km route with 144 people travelled per year by this route.However railway system in Kyoto was established in 1981 and it tracks 11 km of route with 45 passengers.interestingly it is noticeable that Los angles was constructed in 2001.it covers almost 28 km of route. it is the city where least passengers were travelled per year that was about 50.
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 addresses the task only partially. While the student attempts to summarise the main features of the underground railway systems, the selection of data contains significant inaccuracies and omissions. For instance, the text claims that Washington DC covered an '11km route with 144 people travelled per year', which confuses the data for Kyoto (11 km) and misinterprets the passenger figures (144 million people). Furthermore, the overview is somewhat limited, stating that Tokyo had the most passengers and Kyoto the least, but it misses several broader comparisons across the cities. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to ensure all data points are accurately reported from the table and supported by a more thorough comparison of key trends.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response shows some organisation with basic grouping of cities, but there is no clear overall progression. Paragraphing is attempted, with the text broken into an introduction, an overview, and body sentences, but the structure within paragraphs feels jumbled, combining multiple cities and disparate data points without smooth transitions. Cohesive devices are repetitive and basic, relying heavily on sequential connectors like 'According to the table', 'In contrast', and 'moving furthur'. In addition, referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to follow the flow of comparisons. To improve coherence, the writer should group related data logically—such as comparing older versus newer networks—and use a wider, more natural range of cohesive ties to guide the reader through the information.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic topic. The student makes noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word formation, such as writing 'leasr' instead of 'least', 'furthur' instead of 'further', and 'Los angles' instead of 'Los Angeles'. There are also awkward expressions like 'people travelled per year' and repetitive reliance on simple verbs like 'covered' and 'established'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with frequent inaccuracies that cause some difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to expand their range of vocabulary, use precise terms for data reporting such as 'annually' or 'passengers carried', and ensure correct spelling and capitalization proper nouns.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic compound forms. Attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to run-on sentences and punctuation errors, such as missing spaces after periods and commas (e.g., '1863.it tracks' and '199.there were'). There are frequent errors in verb forms, articles, and prepositions within grammatical patterns, including 'in a London city', 'people travelled by this route in a paris city', and 'passengers were travelled'. These errors occur consistently throughout the response and can cause some difficulty for the reader. Incorporating a wider variety of accurate complex structures with controlled punctuation would significantly improve this area.
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