Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-14

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 given table is presenting the information about underground railway system in six cities regarding opening date, length of route and number of passengers travelling each year with this system. First column is showing the name of cities, second is showing the year when they were inaugrated, third shows length of routes in kilometers and last shows number of pessengers (in millions) travelling with this system per year. The date shows that London has oldest underground railway system among these cities. On other hand, Los Angeles underground railway cities is pretty much latest with respect to other 5 cities. This system was launched in paris and tokyo in first quarter of 21st century and it carries most number of passengers there each year. This table also depicts that london has longest while Kyoto has shortest underground railway system. From this data, it is obvious that London, UK was pioneer for the underground railway systems.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant headline features: London is the oldest system and has the longest route, while Kyoto has the shortest. However, the response does not adequately summarise the table’s main comparisons. It omits important passenger figures and the contrast between Tokyo’s highest annual usage (1,927 million) and Washington DC’s low figure (144 million). The statement that Paris and Tokyo opened in the “first quarter of 21st century” is inaccurate: both opened in the 20th century, and they did not open in the same period. The final claim that London was a “pioneer” repeats the opening-date point rather than adding a useful overview. Select the most striking figures and compare them accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable sequence: it introduces the table, describes opening dates, then mentions route lengths and concludes with London’s early role. Linking phrases such as “On other hand” and “From this data” help signal relationships between ideas. However, the opening spends considerable space explaining what each column contains, and the main comparisons are not grouped or developed into a clear overview followed by supporting details. Some transitions also connect claims that are not logically accurate, particularly the sentence about Paris and Tokyo. Organise the response around the key contrasts—age, route length and passenger numbers—and use a separate paragraph for the overview and the supporting comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “underground railway system,” “route,” “launched” and “passengers,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There is some variation in how you describe the data, but several choices are inaccurate or awkward: “underground railway cities” does not describe a railway system, and “number of passengers travelling with this system” is less natural than a concise data-reporting phrase. Spelling errors such as “inaugrated” and “pessengers” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, conventional collocations for describing tables, and check spelling carefully. More exact terms would help you report the figures and comparisons without ambiguity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both longer sentences and simpler statements, and most of the intended meaning can be followed. However, several sentence patterns contain errors or awkward constructions. For example, “The given table is presenting” uses an unnecessarily progressive form, while “On other hand” is missing an article. In “Los Angeles underground railway cities is pretty much latest,” the noun phrase and subject–verb agreement are faulty; “This system was launched in paris and tokyo” also has unclear reference and inconsistent capitalisation. These issues make some sentences difficult to process, even though the overall message remains understandable. Practise accurate article use, agreement and clear sentence construction, then proofread each sentence for a complete, correctly formed subject and verb.

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