Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-18

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)

This Excel table shows the underground railyway data of five different cities accros the world.

This table stated with the information from 1863 to till the 2001 and how many passengers per year navigate throught them, The first city is Londay which is also has the oldest underground railway sytem since 1863 with 394km and carry up to 775 millions per year, secound we have the city of love Paris which opned his undergound railway system in 1900 and tarvel up to 199km thorught the city with 1191 millions per year which make it 2nd highest passengers carring capacity in the table. At third we have Tokyo which started there underground railway system in 1927 and cover up to 155km but carry the highest about of passengers per year with 1927 millions. At fourth possition we have Washington DC which opend his underground railway system in 1976 with 126km and carry upto 144 million passengers per year. On the secound last opssition we have kyoto another japanes city which open his undergound railway network in 1981 and cover only 11km which is make it smallest in terms of distance and also carry the 45 million passengers, and In the end we have Los Angles which open his undergound network in 2001 with 28km and carry only 50 million passengers.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You include information about the opening date, route length and annual passenger numbers for the cities, and you identify several important extremes: London is the oldest system, Tokyo carries the most passengers, and Kyoto has the shortest route. However, the overview is not clearly separated or developed, and the response inaccurately says there are “five different cities” when the table contains six. Some comparisons are also unclear or imprecise, such as calling Paris’s passenger figure its “carrying capacity”; the table reports actual annual passengers, not capacity. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the main patterns, report all six cities accurately, and compare the figures directly rather than narrating them mainly in sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows the table’s city-by-city order, so readers can generally identify which figures belong to each place. Sequencing phrases such as “At third” and “At fourth position” also provide some organisation. However, nearly all the information is packed into one long paragraph and one extended sentence, with limited punctuation to mark the shifts between cities. This makes the progression feel repetitive and sometimes difficult to follow. The opening statements do not establish a clear overview before the details begin. Use separate paragraphs for an overview and grouped comparisons, and vary the linking language rather than relying on ordinal transitions. Clearer sentence boundaries would make the relationships between dates, route lengths and passenger totals easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “underground railway system,” “route,” “passengers per year,” and “oldest,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate or informal choices reduce precision. For example, “navigate through them” is not a natural way to describe passenger use, and “carry up to” suggests capacity rather than the recorded annual total. There are also frequent spelling errors, including “railyway,” “accros,” “opned,” and “thorught,” which can distract the reader. Aim for accurate collocations such as “the system serves” or “the network carries,” and use precise terms such as “annual passenger numbers.” Proofreading spelling would make your vocabulary more effective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect several details in longer sentences, but the response relies heavily on a repeated, simple pattern and the extended sentences are often difficult to control. Errors include “This table stated with the information,” “which is also has,” and “which make it,” where verb forms and sentence construction are faulty. There are also problems with articles, agreement and tense, as in “the city of love Paris which opned his underground railway system.” Commas are frequently used where full stops are needed, creating run-on sentences. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas unclear. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences first, then add a range of accurately formed clauses and check subject–verb agreement, articles and punctuation.

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