Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-12

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)

This information about basements railway stations in six cities.These are huge and large.We are going to explore all of these.

Firstly,We saw London city railway station, it opens in 1863 and the route is so huge,its 394 kilometers and 775 millions people use this station.Secondly,We saw Paris railway station it opens in 1900 and its route is 199 kilometers and 1191 milloin people use this station.Thirdly,in Tokyo its railway station opens in 1927 and its kilometers route 155 and there are 1927 million people use this.On the other hand,Washington DC its station is opens in 1976 and there route is 126 kilometers and 144million people use this station per year.Nextly,Kyoto railway station is opens in 1981 and there route is just 11 kilometers and only 45million people use this in year.Finally,Los Angeles station is opens in 2001 and its route is 28 kilometers and 50 million people use this per year.

In conclusion,there are all information about underground railway station London,Paris,Tokyo,Washington DC,Kyoto and Los Angeles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You include all six cities and report the opening dates, route lengths and annual passenger figures, so the response contains relevant information from the table. However, it mainly lists each city in turn and gives little overview of the most important comparisons. For example, London has the longest route and Tokyo the highest passenger total, while Kyoto has the shortest route and lowest passenger figure; these key patterns are not highlighted. The introduction, “These are huge and large,” is vague and does not summarise the data. To make the report more complete, begin with a concise overview of the extremes and notable contrasts, then select and compare the figures rather than treating every entry as an isolated fact.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: an opening, a main paragraph and a concluding sentence. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “On the other hand,” and “Finally” help readers follow the order of the cities. However, the progression is largely a repetitive list, and some connectors do not express a clear relationship: “On the other hand” introduces another city rather than a contrast. The conclusion simply repeats the city names instead of drawing together the main comparisons. Grouping the older, larger systems separately from the newer, smaller ones, and using comparison links such as “whereas” or “by contrast,” would create a clearer progression and more purposeful cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

Vocabulary is basic and repetitive, with “railway station,” “route,” and “people use this station” repeated throughout. Some choices are inaccurate for the table: it describes underground railway systems, not individual “stations,” and “basements railway stations” is not an appropriate expression. There are also spelling errors, including “milloin,” and vague wording such as “huge and large.” These choices sometimes make the report less precise, although the figures and city names remain understandable. Use task-specific terms such as “underground system,” “network,” “route length,” and “annual passenger numbers,” and vary reporting verbs with accurate options such as “recorded” or “carried.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Most sentences follow a simple pattern, and the repeated city-by-city structure makes the basic information understandable. However, grammatical errors occur frequently, including incorrect verb forms and agreement: “it opens in 1863” and “its station is opens in 1976.” Possessives and articles are also often missing or misused, as in “there route” and “in year.” Several sentences run together without appropriate punctuation, for example the Paris and Tokyo details, which makes the writing harder to read. Practise accurate past-tense reporting (“opened”), possessive forms (“its route”), and complete sentences with clear punctuation. Adding a few controlled comparison clauses would also broaden the range beyond repeated simple statements.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.