Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 gives informetion about the underground railway systems in six diffrent cities around the word with their opened date,routs and passengers per year.

Overall, the table shows the underground railway system development in diffreent cities like a London,Paris,Kyoto and Los Angeles.Furthermore,there were mentioned the opning year, route and its passengers per year.(in millions)

To begin with,in London underground railways had a 394 kilometers routs and it was opended in 1863.Moreover,775 millions people were traveled by trains every year.Furthermore,in Paris it was strted frome 1900 on the routs of 199 kilometers.There were 1191 muilions populations used railweys during the year.In additions,Underground railweys Were started in Tokyo in 1927 among the 155 kilometters of route.Moreover,in Tokyo there were 1927 milions people used in Tokyo.

On the other hand,in Wosington DC it was started in 1976 on the 126 kilometers rout.Moreover, in Kyoto and Los Angeles there were very small destinations as a 11 and 28 kilometers and in small portions of passengers traveled per year.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource4.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the table’s subject and report several relevant figures, including London’s route length and opening date, and Tokyo’s passenger total. However, the overview mainly repeats what the table contains rather than summarising its key patterns. Important comparisons are missing: London has the longest route and is the oldest system, while Tokyo carries the most passengers; Kyoto has the shortest route and lowest passenger figure. The final paragraph also omits the passenger totals for Washington, Kyoto and Los Angeles, and describes the latter two only vaguely as having “small portions” of passengers. To strengthen the response, select the main extremes and contrasts, then report all six cities’ key data accurately and clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, with an introduction, an overview and two body sections, and it groups London, Paris and Tokyo separately from the other cities. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression is limited: the overview does not establish a clear comparison, and the body largely lists cities in sequence. Linking words such as “Moreover” and “Furthermore” are repeated frequently, while “On the other hand” does not introduce a clear contrast. Some references are also unclear, as in “there were 1927 milions people used in Tokyo.” Organise the figures around meaningful comparisons—for example, older and larger systems versus newer and smaller ones—and use linking phrases only where they show a genuine relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use basic vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “underground railway systems,” “route” and “passengers per year,” so the general subject is recognisable. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices or collocations make parts difficult to understand. For example, “small destinations” does not describe short railway routes, and “small portions of passengers” is not a natural way to report passenger totals. There are also frequent spelling errors, such as “informetion,” “diffrent,” “routs” and “muilions,” which reduce clarity. Learn and check key data-reporting phrases such as “the system opened,” “the route extends for,” and “carried X million passengers annually,” and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few different sentence patterns, including an overview and sentences beginning with “To begin with” and “On the other hand.” However, control of sentence structure and verb forms is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make the meaning unclear. For example, “775 millions people were traveled” has problems with number agreement and passive construction; “it was strted frome 1900 on the routs” does not form a clear grammatical sentence; and “there were 1927 milions people used in Tokyo” combines incompatible structures. Articles and punctuation are also unreliable, as in “like a London,Paris.” Practise simple, accurate reporting patterns first, such as “The system opened in 1863” and “It carried 775 million passengers a year,” then vary these structures.

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