Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-15

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 task provide information about the system of underground railway in six different cities.

Overall the task shows the highest passengers that travel in railway is in tokyo, also it shows kyoto has the lowest travel passengers according to the different six cities.

In terms of tokyo and paris this cities railway had almost 1927 millions , 1191 millions number of passengers that traveled in past 1927 and 1900. In addition london and Washington dc has a little limited number of passengers that traveled like 775 millions in 1863 also 144 millions in 1976.

On the other hand, kyoto and los angeles has the similar number of passengers which is 45 millions in 1981 and 50 millions in 2001 in the city of los angeles. Furthermore the result is that the most highest passengers traveled in 1927 in tokyo which is like a decade of century. Other side the lowest number of passengers traveled in kyoto in 1981.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify a relevant overall pattern: Tokyo has the highest annual passenger figure, while Kyoto has the lowest. You also include figures for all six cities and mention their opening dates. However, the summary does not adequately report the table’s main comparisons across all three categories. In particular, the route lengths are omitted entirely, and the opening dates are often presented as though they were the years in which the passenger totals occurred. The overview also repeats passenger rankings rather than highlighting the contrast between the oldest and longest system in London and the newer, shorter systems. To make the response more complete, select key figures from each column and compare them accurately, rather than adding unsupported descriptions such as “a decade of century.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to comparisons between groups of cities. Linking expressions such as “In addition,” “On the other hand,” and “Furthermore” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, progression is limited because the comparisons are not organised around a clear feature, and the final paragraph repeats the highest and lowest passenger figures already stated. Some connections are also unclear: “In terms of tokyo and paris this cities railway” does not clearly establish what is being compared, while “Other side” does not form a clear transition. Group the information by a meaningful pattern—such as passenger numbers or route length—and use references and linking phrases that make each comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “passengers,” “railway,” “number,” and “cities,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, including repeated use of “number of passengers that traveled.” Some collocations and word forms are awkward, such as “the highest passengers” and “a little limited number.” The phrase “a decade of century” is unclear and does not communicate a useful comparison. Use precise terms for the table’s measures, such as “annual passenger numbers,” “route length,” and “the system opened,” and vary the language used to describe the figures. This would make the comparisons clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the reader can usually identify the cities and figures being discussed. However, the longer structures are often faulty, and errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction sometimes make relationships unclear. For example, “In terms of tokyo and paris this cities railway had” has incorrect demonstrative and noun agreement, while “kyoto and los angeles has” uses a singular verb with a plural subject. The opening, “The task provide information,” also needs subject–verb agreement. Tense and sentence structure are inconsistent when dates are linked to passenger totals. Practise building accurate comparison sentences with plural subjects and clear clauses, for example, “Tokyo’s system carried the most passengers annually, at 1,927 million.”

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