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 provides the data which includes the information about the underground railway systems in six citie namely, London, Paris, Tokyo,Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles.

Overall, the table includes four rows and six column which provide the details about the cities,opening date of trains, kilometers of route and number of passengers per year in millions.

Underground trains starded in Paris at 1900 and runs approximetaily 199 kilometers of routes and contain second highest number of passenders that accounted at 1191 millions per year. while Tokyo started the train journey at 1927 and run 155 kilometers of route and consist the highest number of travellers in the train that considered 1927 million people.

kyoto and Los Angeles are those two cities where the train routes are the shotest as compared to any other cities at 11 and 28 kilometers respectivily, the passengers of per year in these cities are also very less accounted for 45 million passengers in the Kyoto and 50 million passenders in los Angeles per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the subject and include several relevant figures, especially the passenger totals for Paris and Tokyo and the short routes in Kyoto and Los Angeles. However, the response only partially reports the table’s main features: London, the oldest system and the one with the longest route, is not described, and Washington DC is omitted. The overview focuses on the table’s layout rather than summarising its key comparisons, and there is no clear comparison across all six cities. Some details are also inaccurate or unclear, such as saying Paris “contain[s] second highest” passengers without noting Tokyo’s higher figure explicitly. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the oldest/largest system and the busiest system, then cover all cities accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, a general statement, and details about selected cities. This gives the reader some organisation, and words such as “while” and “respectively” attempt to connect comparisons. However, progression is limited because the overview describes the table’s rows and columns rather than guiding the reader through its main patterns. The final sentence combines Kyoto and Los Angeles with several figures, making the information dense, while London and Washington DC are absent. Some linking is also awkward, as in “while Tokyo started…” after a full stop. Group the cities by meaningful contrasts—such as older versus newer systems or route length versus passenger use—and use clear paragraphing and transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “underground railway systems,” “kilometers of route,” and “passengers per year,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors reduce precision: “contain second highest number,” “train journey,” “shotest,” and “passenders” are examples. “The table includes four rows and six column” also describes the display rather than the data trends. Use standard terms such as “carried,” “recorded,” and “route length,” and check spelling carefully. More precise comparative language would help you report the figures naturally, for example, describing Tokyo as having the highest annual ridership and London as having the longest network.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a comparison beginning “while Tokyo…” and a relative clause in “cities where the train routes…”. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and punctuation are frequent enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “six citie namely,” “four rows and six column which provide,” and “the passengers of per year in these cities are also very less accounted for.” Capitalisation and sentence boundaries are also unreliable, as in “while” after a full stop and lowercase “kyoto.” Aim first for accurate, complete sentences with clear subject–verb agreement and punctuation; then add comparisons using controlled clauses such as “Tokyo, which opened in 1927, carries the most passengers.”

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