Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-19

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 presents data regarding undergroung railway systems in six distinct urban areas.

Overall, there are total six different cities who provides the facility of underground railway system, namely London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto, and Los Angeles. Paris and Tokyo experienced a substantial amount of passengers. Although, the railway system covered a large route in kilometers.

The opening date of London's railway station was 1863 and it covered the distance of 394 kilometers with 775 million passengers anually. The travellers of Paris are approximately 1191 million. The train to Paris travel 199 kilometers with large amount of passengers about 1927 million per year. The date on which Washington DC and Kyoto railway stations were opened quite near to each other. The city that covers a small route is Kyoto around 11 kilometers. Los Angeles contains 50 million travellers anually. However, Kyoto contains 45 million. The London railways system is of 19th century in contrast with Los Angeles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the six cities and include several relevant figures, such as London’s 1863 opening and 394-kilometre route, as well as Kyoto’s short route. However, the overview is unclear and does not accurately summarise the main patterns. Tokyo has the highest annual passenger figure, but the response says Paris and Tokyo had a substantial number without clearly distinguishing them; it then incorrectly attributes 1,927 million passengers to Paris rather than Tokyo. Several key comparisons are missing, including that London has the longest route and that Los Angeles is the newest system. To strengthen the response, report the main extremes accurately in the overview, then compare the cities using the correct figures rather than leaving some data out or assigning it to the wrong city.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response has an opening statement, an attempted overview and a body containing city details, so there is some basic organisation. However, ideas do not progress clearly: the overview’s comment that the railway system “covered a large route” is vague, and the body moves between London, Paris, Washington, Kyoto and Los Angeles without a consistent comparison pattern. Some linking words also create confusing relationships. For example, “Although” begins a sentence without a contrasting clause, while “However” introduces the Kyoto–Los Angeles passenger comparison without making the contrast precise. Grouping the oldest and longest systems together, then the newer and shorter ones, and using clear comparisons would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some suitable task vocabulary, including “route,” “passengers,” “covered the distance” and “per year,” and the meaning is generally recoverable. There is also some variation in how you refer to passengers, such as “travellers.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a table: “railway station” refers to a station rather than a system, and “the train to Paris travel” does not clearly describe the network. “There are total six different cities who provides the facility” is also awkward and unnecessarily wordy. Spelling slips such as “undergroung” and “anually” reduce accuracy. Aim for concise, standard collocations such as “the system opened,” “the network extends for,” and “annual passenger numbers.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “in contrast with” and a clause beginning “Although.” However, control is inconsistent, and some sentence structures are incomplete or difficult to interpret. “Although, the railway system covered a large route in kilometers” is not a complete contrast structure, while “The date on which Washington DC and Kyoto railway stations were opened quite near to each other” lacks a main verb. There are also agreement and article errors in “six different cities who provides” and “there are total six.” Work on complete clause structure, subject–verb agreement and articles, and check that each linking word connects grammatically appropriate ideas. More accurate simple sentences would improve clarity before adding complex forms.

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