Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-20

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 chart demonstarte about the underground train system in London, Paris, Tokyo, washington, kyoto and Los Angeles.

Overall, the chart explain the six cities passengers using trains per year and explain the route and begining date of railways. Tokyo build in early nintees and the route hundred and fifty and the passengers percentage so high in Tokyo. Koyoto have less using ratio of railways.

Firstly, London railway was opened 1863 and the distance 394 and 775 millions people using subway. Paris subway open un 1900 and the route 199 and 1191 millions people used trains. Tokyo was build 1927 (155km,1927 million).

Secondly, Washington DC was opened in 1976 and the subway distance 126km and 144 millions people using per year. Koyoto, was build in 1981 and the km routes only 11 this is smallest in these six countires and only 45 millions people were onlu used. Lastly, Los Angles which was very famous subway build in 2001 and the distance second lowest just 28km and the 50 millions people using trains in LA.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report the main figures for all six cities, including opening dates, route lengths and annual passenger totals, and you identify Tokyo as having the highest passenger use and Kyoto as having the smallest system. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: “Tokyo build in early nintees” does not describe its opening date correctly, and “passengers percentage” misrepresents the figures, which are totals in millions. Comparisons are mostly limited to calling Kyoto’s route the smallest and Los Angeles’s the second shortest; the striking contrast between London’s longest route and Tokyo’s highest ridership is not clearly drawn. To strengthen the summary, give a precise overview of the main extremes and compare the figures directly, rather than describing each city mainly in isolation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. “Firstly” and “Secondly” help signal the move from the first three cities to the remaining ones, so the reader can follow the general sequence. However, the progression is largely a list of city-by-city facts, and the overview does not clearly prepare the reader for the comparisons that follow. Some links are awkward or unclear, such as “Overall, the chart explain…” and “Koyoto, was build…”. Grouping cities by meaningful contrasts—for example, the oldest and longest systems versus the newest and shortest—would create a clearer line of development. Use linking phrases to show comparisons, not only to mark the next item.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “route,” “distance,” “opened,” and “millions,” and the reader can generally identify the information being described. However, the range is basic and repetitive, with “build,” “using,” and “subway” used repeatedly or in unsuitable combinations. Phrases such as “passengers percentage” and “less using ratio” are imprecise and make the intended meaning harder to understand. There are also spelling errors, including “demonstarte,” “nintees,” “Koyoto,” and “Angles.” Aim for accurate data-reporting language such as “annual passenger numbers,” “route length,” and “recorded,” and check spellings of city names and common words before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Most sentences use simple patterns, and there are attempts to combine information, for example, “Tokyo was build 1927 (155km,1927 million).” However, verb forms and sentence construction are often inaccurate: “the chart explain,” “Paris subway open,” and “Tokyo was build” do not use the correct subject–verb agreement or passive form. Articles and prepositions are also missing or incorrect in phrases such as “opened 1863” and “open un 1900.” The sentence “Koyoto, was build in 1981 and the km routes only 11 this is smallest…” joins several ideas without a clear grammatical structure. Practise accurate past passive forms (“was opened in”) and build complete sentences with clear clauses and punctuation.

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