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 below table gives the information about the undreground railway track systems in different six cities.
Overall, Tokyo railway systems carried highest number of passengers in one year while kyoto had the least number of passengers in one year. Although London had the highest length of railway track where as kyoto had the lowest length of the railway track.
London railway track launched in 1863 where it had 394 kilometers of route and it carried 775 millions passengers in one year. In addtion Paris railway track opened in 1900 and it carroed 1191 millions of passengers in one year Along with the length of railway track was 199 kilometers. Moreover, Underground railway system of paris was came into operation in 1927 as well as the distance was 155 kilometers. It carried 1927 millions passengers in one year.
In contrast, Washing ton dc was introduced in 1976 and it carried 144 million passengers per year and the distance was 126 kilometres of route.
kyoto railway track was established in 1981 with 11 kilometers of route also it transported only 45 millions passengers in one year. Moreover, Railway tack of Los angles was introduced in 2001 and thew distance was 28 kilometers of route with 50 million passengers in one year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the main extremes in the overview: Tokyo has the highest annual passenger figure, while Kyoto has the lowest, and London and Kyoto have the longest and shortest routes respectively. You also include data for all six cities, which gives the reader relevant coverage. However, some key comparisons are missing or unclear, particularly that London is the oldest system and Los Angeles the newest, and that Tokyo’s passenger total is much higher than the others. Most importantly, you incorrectly say Paris’s system began operating in 1927; this date belongs to Tokyo. The overview and details therefore only partially and reliably summarise the table. Check each figure against its city and select the most significant contrasts more clearly.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has an identifiable overview followed by details about the cities, and phrases such as “Overall” and “In contrast” show an attempt to guide the reader. However, the progression is not consistently clear: London and Paris are discussed together, but the next sentence mistakenly shifts to Tokyo while naming Paris, making the comparison difficult to follow. Several sentences also join facts awkwardly, such as “Along with the length of railway track was 199 kilometers.” Repeated use of “Moreover” and “and” makes the linking mechanical rather than showing precise relationships between figures. Group the systems logically—for example, older and longer networks, then newer and shorter ones—and use clear sentence boundaries and comparisons.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “route,” “passengers,” “opened,” and “introduced,” and the reader can generally understand the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. “Railway track” is repeatedly used where “underground system” or “network” would be more natural, while “carried 1191 millions of passengers” uses an incorrect number form and collocation. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “undreground,” “addtion,” “carroed,” and “Los angles.” These reduce the precision and polish of the report. Practise standard data-reporting phrases such as “served X million passengers annually” and check spelling and number expressions carefully.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, the range is limited, and complex constructions are often faulty. For example, “Although London had the highest length of railway track where as kyoto had the lowest” is not a complete, well-formed sentence, and “Underground railway system of paris was came into operation” combines incompatible verb forms. There are also recurring problems with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries, as in “the distance was 126 kilometres of route.” These errors sometimes make relationships between facts unclear. Build accurate comparisons with straightforward patterns first, such as “London had the longest route, at 394 km, whereas Kyoto’s was 11 km,” then vary the structures once they are secure.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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