Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-03
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)
The data compares the underground railway procedures in six distinct urban areas. Overall, London shows a wide range of kilometers route. In contrast, Los Angeles reveals the slight distance for travelling. The majority of passengers who travel several times throughout the year were spotted in Tokyo and Paris. In 1863, opening of London's railway system was organized, having total route distance 394 kilometers. There was total 775 passengers per year who have been traveling since 1863. The Paris railway system was opened in 19th century, that contains 199 kilometers route for 1191 citizens per year and this is a very massive quantity among the years. Tokyo railway system was opened in 1927, it has a capacity of 1927 passengers per year and travel up to 155 kilometers. WashingtomDC has a range of taking 144 individuals throughout the year o
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5
The response only partially addresses the task and fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, as it contains only 139 words. While the student attempts to summarise the data by mentioning several cities and their features, the information provided is often inaccurate or misinterpreted. For instance, the student states that Tokyo has a capacity of 1927 passengers per year, confusing the opening year with the passenger volume. Furthermore, key comparisons are missed, and the data is presented in a fragmented, repetitive manner without an adequate overview of all main trends across the table.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
The response displays some organization with basic transitional words like 'Overall' and 'In contrast', but there is no clear overall progression. The information is presented in a disjointed way, and sentences jump between cities and metrics without a logical flow. Paragraphing is weak, as the entire response is clumped into a single block of text rather than being structured into a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Referencing and cohesive devices are frequently inadequate or mechanical, making the relationships between the data points difficult for the reader to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task. The student attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'procedures', 'urban areas', and 'massive quantity', but these choices are often inaccurate or inappropriate in context, such as referring to railway systems as 'procedures'. There are noticeable word choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'slight distance for travelling' and 'range of taking individuals'. However, the vocabulary is basic enough that communication is not entirely impeded, despite the occasional misuse of terms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writing demonstrates a limited range of structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic clauses. Attempts at more complex structures are frequently faulty or incomplete, as seen in the truncated final sentence ('WashingtomDC has a range of taking 144 individuals throughout the year o'). There are frequent errors in grammar, prepositions, and articles, such as 'kilometers route', 'slight distance', and 'opening of London's railway system was organized'. Punctuation and verb tense usage are also inconsistent, which causes some difficulty for the reader.
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