Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-07

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 chart illustrate the information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

London was the first city to use the underground railway system which was opened in 1863 and it has also the longest route which is about 394 km moreover the estimate number of passengers in this railway system is 775 millions per year.

London was the first city to open the railway system after that 4 city built underground railway system in a same century paris was on the second number after the London which inaugrate its railway system in 1900 with the route of 199 km but the number of passengers is 1191 millions per year after paris other cities like Tokyo,Washington DC and Kyoto built underground railway system with the difference of few years Tokyo railway system was opened in 1927 while Washington DC was built in 1976 and kyoto in 1981 kyoto has the samalest route which is just 11 km but the route of tokyo 155 km and wasjington dc is 126 km surprisingly tokyo has the more passengers than london and paris which is estimated about 1927 passengers per year . Los angeles was the only city which built under ground railway system in 2001 with the route of 28 km and passengers is just 50 million per year.

To sum up, london was the first city to start the trend of under ground railway system and it also has longest route among the other cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several key features, including London as the oldest system and the longest by route, Tokyo as the busiest, and Kyoto as having the shortest route. You also include figures for all six cities, so the response is relevant and covers much of the table. However, the overview is limited: the conclusion repeats London's age and route length rather than summarising broader contrasts, such as the newer systems generally being smaller and less used. Some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate in wording; for example, “after that 4 city built ... in a same century” does not clearly describe the dates, and the passenger figures are sometimes labelled imprecisely. A clearer overview and more selective, accurate comparisons would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic overall structure, moving from London to the other systems and ending with a summary. This gives the reader a general sense of the information’s order. However, progression within the main paragraph is difficult to follow because many comparisons and dates are packed into one long sentence, with few full stops. Linking phrases such as “after that,” “after paris,” and “to sum up” are used, but connections are sometimes mechanical or unclear, and the repeated focus on London does not develop the report logically. Separate the information into clearer groups—for example, older and larger systems versus newer and smaller ones—and use shorter sentences with precise references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “route,” “passengers per year,” “opened,” and “longest,” and the reader can generally understand the comparisons. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “built underground railway system,” “on the second number,” and “the more passengers.” Spelling errors, including “inaugrate,” “samalest,” and “wasjington,” also reduce accuracy. Repetition of “railway system” and “route” makes the description less flexible. Aim for standard data-reporting expressions such as “was inaugurated,” “ranked second,” “carried the most passengers,” and “had a route length of,” while checking spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine information using relative clauses and contrast, as in “which was opened in 1863” and “while Washington DC was built in 1976.” However, complex sentences are often faulty or run on for too long, making relationships between facts hard to follow. For example, the sentence beginning “after that 4 city built” continues through several cities without adequate sentence boundaries. There are also frequent errors in agreement, articles, and plural forms: “The given chart illustrate,” “4 city,” and “775 millions” should be corrected. Use a mix of short, accurate sentences and carefully controlled complex structures, and check subject–verb agreement and singular/plural forms.

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