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)

It is said by many people, the table illustrated the system of underground railway in six cities.

Overall, it is apparent that, the table showed the data about underground railway system from 1863 till 2001. The most bussiest railway station among all was tokyo followed by Paris and London, in comparison with other cities, these cities showed highest proportion of passengers on the other hand Washington, Kyoto and Los angeles showed minimum passengers proportion.

To begin with, Tokyo had the highest proportion of passengers that is 1927 millions per year followed by Paris, which had 1191 million passengers per year respectively, on the other hand London had 775 million passengers per year.

However, in comparison with other cities, which had minimum proportion of passengers that is , Washington had 144 pessengers, Los Angeles had 50 pesseangers as well as kyoto had least proportion of passengers that is 45 million passengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad comparison that Tokyo, Paris and London have the highest annual passenger figures, and you include several relevant numbers. However, the summary is only partial because it focuses almost entirely on passenger totals and omits two key features: the opening dates and route lengths. The overview also calls Tokyo’s system the “most bussiest railway station,” which misidentifies a railway system as a station and does not capture the table’s other major pattern: London has the longest route, while Kyoto has the shortest. Develop an overview that compares age, size and usage, then select figures that illustrate each feature. This would make the response more complete and the main comparisons clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs of supporting details. The passenger figures are grouped broadly into higher and lower totals, which gives the reader some organisation. However, progression is limited because both detail paragraphs repeat the same passenger comparison, while route length and opening dates are not organised into a separate comparison. Linking phrases such as “on the other hand” and “However” are repeated and do not always signal a clear contrast. For example, the final paragraph lists three cities but does not explain how their figures compare. Group information by a clear feature and use linking expressions only where they clarify the relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “passengers per year,” “proportion” and “compared with,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or repetitive. “Most bussiest railway station” is both an unsuitable description of the data and an incorrect superlative; “passenger numbers” would be more precise. “Minimum passengers proportion” is not a natural collocation, and “proportion” is not appropriate when reporting the actual totals in the table. There are also spelling errors such as “pessengers,” “pesseangers” and “bussiest.” Use precise terms such as “annual passenger numbers,” “route length” and “opened,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few longer sentences, including the overview and the sentence beginning “To begin with,” but control is uneven. The opening, “It is said by many people, the table illustrated…,” combines an unrelated passive clause with the main statement, making the sentence structure faulty. There are also problems with articles, punctuation and sentence boundaries: “Overall, it is apparent that, the table showed…” has an unnecessary comma after “that,” and the comma before “on the other hand” joins independent clauses without suitable punctuation. Tense use is inconsistent when describing a table that presents fixed data. Practise writing direct, controlled sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use a full stop or semicolon before contrastive clauses.

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