Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-09

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 4.0)

The table below gives information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

The cities include ( London, Paris, Tokoyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles). Tokyo opened their underground railway systems in 1927 and cover 155 kilometers of route and accounts 1927 million pessengers per year. Paris opened their railway systems in 1900 and cover 1191 million pessengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the subject and name the six cities, then report some figures for Tokyo and Paris. However, the summary is very incomplete: it omits London, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles’ data, and gives no overview of the main comparisons, such as London having the oldest and longest system or Tokyo carrying the most passengers. There is also a significant data mix-up: Paris’s 1,191 million figure is its annual passenger total, not its route length, and its opening year and route length are missing. The response is 50 words, so it does not meet the 150-word minimum; the 11 words copied from the prompt are excluded. To improve, provide an overview and select accurate comparisons across all three measures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

The response has a basic sequence: it introduces the table, lists the cities, and then gives details about Tokyo and Paris. This provides some organisation, but the information is not developed into a clear summary, and the city list in parentheses interrupts the flow. The two data statements are joined mainly by “and,” with no paragraphing or linking language to show comparisons or group related systems. For example, Tokyo and Paris could be compared directly by route length and passenger numbers, while the older and newer systems could be grouped separately. Use a short overview followed by logically organised comparisons, and make references between sentences clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “underground railway systems,” “route,” and “passengers per year,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is narrow and some word choices or forms reduce accuracy: “accounts 1927 million passengers” is not a natural way to report a figure, and “pessengers” is misspelled twice. “The cities include” is understandable but does little to summarise the data. Use precise reporting expressions such as “carried,” “recorded,” or “had an annual passenger total of,” and vary terms for the systems and figures. Check spelling carefully, especially for key data vocabulary, so errors do not distract from the comparisons.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You produce several simple sentence forms that are mostly understandable, including “The table below gives information…” and “Paris opened their railway systems in 1900.” However, the range is very limited, with little sentence variety or complex structure. There are also agreement and reference problems: “Tokyo opened their underground railway systems” uses a plural pronoun for a city, and “cover 155 kilometers” does not match the past-time opening reference. The parenthetical city list also has unnecessary spacing after the opening bracket. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and singular agreement, then combine related facts using controlled comparative clauses, for example, “Although Paris opened later than London, its system is shorter.”

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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