Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-11

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 4.5)

The table provides data on underground railway system of six different cities.

It has been seen that, Tokyo onboard the most passengers with number of 1927 with covering up 155 kilometers of route making the largest amongst other cities. Whereas, Kyoto accomodating only the 11 kilometers with passengers of only 45 leaving the city on the last of the list in comparison to other cities.

The big cities like london and Paris are compensating the average of 800 people per year covering up the route of 200 kilometers, considering the very old railways operating in comparison to the other cities.

In conclusion, big cities are supporting daily of 3000 of people through railways for daily commute of 600 kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the table’s subject and report some relevant figures, including Tokyo’s passenger total and Kyoto’s route length. However, the overview is incomplete and several comparisons are inaccurate or unclear: London, not Tokyo, has the longest route, while Tokyo has the highest annual passenger figure. The claim that London and Paris average “800 people per year” is not a reliable summary of the data, and the conclusion about 3,000 daily commuters and 600 kilometres is unsupported. The response also omits key information about Washington DC and Los Angeles. The required minimum length is not met, which further limits how fully you can select and compare the main features. Focus on accurate overall trends and support them with the table’s figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. This gives the reader some sense of organisation, and phrases such as “Whereas” and “In conclusion” attempt to connect ideas. However, progression is limited because the comparisons are not grouped or developed consistently, and the conclusion introduces a new, unsupported claim rather than summarising the table. The opening body paragraph also combines Tokyo and Kyoto without clearly explaining the contrast, while the next paragraph shifts to London and Paris. Use a clearer sequence—for example, compare the oldest and largest systems first, then the newer and smaller ones—and make each linking phrase express the relationship accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “underground railway system,” “passengers,” “route” and “operating,” so the subject is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several choices or combinations are unnatural, such as “onboard the most passengers,” “covering up” a route and “accommodating” a number of kilometres. “Big cities” is imprecise for describing the systems, and “daily commute” does not fit the annual passenger figures shown. Spelling and capitalisation also need attention in “accomodating” and “london.” Aim for precise data-reporting language, such as “carried,” “extended over,” and “recorded annual ridership,” and use terms consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some sentence variety, including a contrast introduced by “Whereas” and a concluding sentence, but the range remains limited and complex constructions are often faulty. For example, “Tokyo onboard the most passengers” lacks a correctly formed verb, and “with number of 1927 with covering up 155 kilometers” has unclear grammatical relationships. The sentence beginning “The big cities like london and Paris are compensating the average…” is also difficult to interpret because its structure does not clearly connect the figures to the cities. Articles and sentence punctuation need more control as well. Practise building accurate simple comparisons first, then combine them with clauses using “while” or “whereas.”

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