Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-17

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 provide information about the understand railway system in London, Pairs Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto, and Los Angeles. Overall, The underground railway, start in London first and the largest kilometers of route.However The higest million passenger travel in Tokyo railway station in per year while Kyoto is shortage kilometers of routes and low traveling. In London opened date underground railway road 1863, and kilometers of routes is 394 and also passenger traveling per year 775 millionper year.While,Pair strat date in 1900 and 199 kilometers of routes passenger travel is 1191 million per year is second higest traveling than Tokyo.subsequently, Tokyo began date 1927 and 155 kilometers of routes people travel is 1927 million per year. In contrast, The Washington DC railway sytem launch in 1976 and 126 kilometers of routes 144 million human beings travel per year while ,Loss Angeles is second railway station in America construction in 2001 and 28 kilometers of routes 50 million passenger travel per year is smallest category after than Kyoto.The Kyoto is made 1981, and 11 smallest kilometers of routes individuals traveling per year is 45 million

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource4.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all six cities and include the three key measures: opening date, route length and annual passenger numbers. The overview identifies London as the earliest and largest system, and Tokyo as the busiest, while noting Kyoto’s small route and low usage. These are relevant main features, and most figures are reported accurately. However, some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate: Paris is described as having the “second higest traveling than Tokyo,” although Tokyo has the highest passenger total and Paris is third. The overview also calls Kyoto’s route the shortest but does not clearly contrast the newer systems with the older, larger ones. A more precise overview and clearer ranking of passenger figures would make the main trends easier to understand.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic overall structure: an opening and overview are followed by details about the cities. It also attempts to connect information with words such as “Overall,” “While,” “subsequently” and “In contrast.” However, progression within the details is uneven, and the long second paragraph moves from London to Paris, Tokyo and the American cities before returning to Kyoto. Several transitions are awkward or do not show the intended relationship, while punctuation and spacing make sentence boundaries difficult to follow. Grouping the older, larger systems together and then the newer, smaller ones would create a clearer progression. Use linking expressions selectively and ensure each sentence presents a complete, clearly connected comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “kilometers of routes,” “passenger” and “per year,” so the reader can generally identify the information being described. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repeated or used unnaturally, such as “passenger traveling,” “human beings travel” and “railway station” for an underground system. Spelling and word-form errors, including “Pairs,” “higest” and “sytem,” also reduce precision. Some choices make comparisons hard to interpret, particularly “second higest traveling than Tokyo.” Aim for accurate, conventional terms for transport data and vary them only when the alternative is natural. For example, “annual passenger numbers” is clearer than repeatedly describing people as travelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with linking clauses, and the reader can recover the general meaning of most data. However, control of sentence structure and basic grammar is inconsistent. The opening, “The table provide information,” has subject–verb disagreement, while “In London opened date underground railway road 1863” lacks a clear grammatical structure. Articles and prepositions are often missing or misplaced, and several clauses run together without reliable punctuation, as in the London and Paris details. These problems sometimes obscure how the figures relate to one another. Build sentences around a clear subject and verb—for example, “London’s system opened in 1863 and has 394 kilometres of route”—then check agreement, articles and sentence boundaries.

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