Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-21

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 4.5)

The table graph illustrates the underground railway system included their route in kilometeres and passengers per year in million in London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington, Kyoto and Los Angeles from 1863 to 2001.

Overall, it can be seen that the highest number of passengers in underground railway were in capital ctiy of Japan whihch is Tokyo whereas least in Kyoto.

In 1927,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the topic and name all six cities, and your overview correctly notes that Tokyo has the highest annual passenger figure while Kyoto has the lowest. However, the response is far too incomplete to summarise the table: it gives no meaningful comparisons of route lengths, opening dates, or the figures for most cities. The unfinished line “In 1927,” does not report any information. The required minimum of 150 words is not met, which further limits the coverage. To improve, provide a clear overview of the oldest and newest systems, the longest and shortest routes, and the passenger extremes, then support these points with accurate figures from the table.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic beginning: the first sentence introduces the table, followed by an overview beginning “Overall”. This gives the response a recognisable, if very limited, structure. However, there is no developed progression beyond these opening statements, and the final fragment “In 1927,” leaves the reader without a complete idea or a clear ending. The overview also presents only one comparison, so the information is not grouped or connected in a useful way. Organise the report into an introduction, an overview, and one or two detail paragraphs—for example, compare the older, larger systems together and then the newer, shorter systems. Use complete sentences and clear links between comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “underground railway system”, “route” and “passengers per year”, and it attempts to describe a comparison with “highest” and “least”. This shows a basic ability to communicate the topic. However, the range is narrow, and several word choices or spelling errors reduce clarity: “table graph” is not an accurate description, “included their route” is awkward, and “ctiy” and “whihch” are misspelled. Use precise reporting language such as “the table compares” and “annual passenger numbers”, and check spelling carefully. A wider set of comparison terms—such as “longest”, “shortest”, “earliest” and “most heavily used”—would help you report the data more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt a complex opening sentence and use an overview marker, “Overall”, but grammatical control is inconsistent. In “The table graph illustrates the underground railway system included their route…”, the clause structure and reference to the systems are unclear. The phrase “the highest number of passengers in underground railway were” has problems with articles and subject–verb agreement, while “whereas least in Kyoto” is an incomplete comparison. The final “In 1927,” is also a sentence fragment. Most of the response relies on one long sentence and a short overview, so there is little evidence of a controlled range. Practise writing complete, direct sentences, checking agreement and articles, and using accurate comparative structures.

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