Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-13

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 below presents data regarding the underground railway system of six cities.

Overall, the table provide insights to different aspects of the subway systems of these six cities: date of inauguration, kilometers of routes and number of passengers per year (in millions). According the the table, London, Paris and Tokyo have the oldest railway systems, as compared to other cities. Along with this, these three cities also have the longest routes and the biggest numbers in terms of passengers, when compared to the other three.

The city of London is known to have the oldest known system of underground trains ever made. It was first opened in 1863. On the contrary, Los Angelos have the newest inaugurated subway system. The second most ancient undergroud railway system dates back to 1900 in Paris. Tokyo comes in thrid place, having its underground trains system operating in 1927. Washington DC and Kyoto had their first subway system back in 1976 and 1981.

Along with this, London, Paris and Tokyo have the longest travel routes. London's underground railway spans across 394 km, Paris subway covers 199 km of the route, while Tokyo's cover 155 km. The railway tracks of Washing DC, Kyoto, and Los Angelos covers 126 km, 11 km, and 28 km of their total route.

Lastly, in terms of having the largest number of population that travels by tthe underground train Tokyo is at first place, while Los Kyoto is at the last palace.

London has the URS covers a route of 394 Km, longest, paris and tokyo DCcomes next. while Kyoto and LA have the shortest

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the table’s subject and give a broad overview that the three oldest systems—London, Paris and Tokyo—also have the longest routes and highest passenger figures. You report the opening dates and route lengths for most cities, which addresses important parts of the task. However, the passenger data are not accurately summarised: the final paragraph says Tokyo is first and Kyoto last, but gives no figures and then becomes unclear, while the table shows Tokyo at 1,927 million and Kyoto at 45 million. The overview also overgeneralises by linking the oldest systems with the highest passenger numbers, since London’s figure is below Paris’s and Tokyo’s. Include the key passenger comparisons and make the overview more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has an identifiable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by paragraphs on opening dates, route lengths and passenger numbers. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is grouped. However, progression is weakened by repetitive transitions such as “Along with this” and “Lastly,” and some references are difficult to follow. Most notably, the final paragraph shifts from passenger numbers to route lengths, repeats London’s route figure, and ends with the fragment-like “while Kyoto and LA have the shortest.” The comparison of route lengths would be clearer if all six cities were grouped once, and the passenger paragraph should stay focused on passenger figures. Use linking phrases selectively and ensure each paragraph develops one comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “inauguration,” “spans across,” “operating” and “route,” and the main topic remains understandable. However, several choices are inaccurate or awkward for describing a table. “Biggest numbers” is vague, “largest number of population that travels” does not accurately describe passenger journeys, and “oldest known system … ever made” is unnecessarily emphatic. Spelling errors such as “Los Angelos,” “undergrout,” “thrid” and “palace” also reduce precision. Some abbreviations and inconsistent forms, including “URS,” “Km” and “LA,” make the report less formal. Prefer precise terms such as “annual passenger numbers” and use city names consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons introduced by “while” and “as compared to.” However, errors in agreement, articles and sentence construction are frequent enough to make parts of the report difficult to read. For example, “the table provide” should be “the table provides,” and “Los Angelos have” should be “Los Angeles has.” The sentence beginning “The railway tracks of Washing DC, Kyoto, and Los Angelos covers” has a plural subject but a singular verb, and the final paragraph contains incomplete or poorly connected clauses. Check subject–verb agreement, form complete sentences, and use consistent punctuation. Shorter, carefully controlled comparisons would improve accuracy while retaining some structural variety.

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