Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The table shows the underground railway systems that exist in world.There are six cities where underground system operate.These are London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.The table also shows information about opened date, Total route distance and number of passengers who traveled through these railways systems.

First of all the London underground system was developed in 1863 and it was a 394 kilometers long route. 775 millions of passengers travel per year through this station.

The Paris underground system was developed in 1900 and it was a 199 kilometers long route.1191 millions of passengers traveled through it per year.

The Tokyo system was developed in 1927. It was a 155 kilometer long route and 1927 millions of people traveled through it per year.

The Washington Dc system was developed in 1976. It was a 126 kilometer route which is shorter than tokyo, London and paris routes. 144 millions of passengers traveled through it every year.

The Kyoto system was developed in 1981 and it was a 11 meter shorter route than other routes. 45 millions of passengers traveled though it each year.

The Los Angeles underground system was developed in 2001. It was a 28 kilomete shorter route. 50 millions of passengers traveled every year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify all six cities and report the opening dates, route lengths and annual passenger figures, so the response is relevant to the table. However, it mainly lists each city separately rather than selecting and comparing the most important features. There is no clear overview of the overall patterns—for example, that London has the oldest system and longest route, while Tokyo carries the most passengers, and Kyoto has the shortest route and lowest passenger total. Some details are also inaccurate or unclear: Kyoto’s route is 11 kilometres, not “11 meter shorter,” and Los Angeles has a route of 28 kilometres, not simply a “28 kilomet[e] shorter route.” A concise overview and accurate comparisons would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, understandable structure: an introduction is followed by paragraphs that present information about the cities. The repeated use of “First of all” and the city names helps readers follow the sequence, and most figures are easy to locate. However, the organisation is largely a series of similar entries, with little grouping or progression by a meaningful comparison, such as older versus newer systems or longer versus shorter routes. Connections between the facts are limited, and the repeated sentence pattern makes the account feel list-like. Grouping cities and using comparison links such as “whereas” or “by contrast” would create a clearer progression and stronger cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “underground railway systems,” “route distance,” and “passengers,” and the main information is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or imprecise. “Developed” is used repeatedly where “opened” would describe the table’s dates more accurately, while “a 28 kilomet[e] shorter route” does not clearly express the route’s length. The phrase “11 meter shorter” also gives the wrong impression of a comparison and uses an unsuitable unit. There are noticeable spelling and form errors, including “kilomete” and “though” for “through.” More precise terms for route length and passenger totals would improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Most sentences use a simple subject–verb structure, and this allows the reader to understand many of the reported facts. However, the range is narrow, with little use of varied or complex sentence forms. Errors in articles, agreement, plurals and punctuation occur throughout: for example, “in world” needs an article, “systems operate” does not agree with the singular “system,” and “775 millions of passengers” should use the plural noun correctly. Several sentences also run together without spaces after full stops, as in “route.1191.” These recurring errors sometimes make the wording awkward. Practise accurate comparisons and combine related facts using controlled clauses.

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