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 given table shows us the information on the underground railway system in total of six cities. The given information tells us about date of opening, count of kilometers it travelled and peseesngers per year.

According to the table, the london railway opened at first and the los angeles railway opened in early 2000's. underground railway was considered a modern mean of travel and was not much adopted by other countries but it proved to be a great way of travelling to places.

At first when the underground railway was opened in London it was seen as a luxury by the other countries, London railway had a astonishing number of passengers per year, praised by other countries many countries developed it in their cities like Paris, Japapnese cities and US states.

Underground railway is still a success in all countries with great number of passenger still using it in their daily routine.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the table’s subject and mention two relevant features: London opened first, while Los Angeles opened most recently. However, the response does not summarise the main numerical patterns or make meaningful comparisons across the six cities. For example, it omits that London has the longest route, Tokyo carries the most passengers, and Kyoto has the shortest route and lowest passenger figure. Instead, it introduces unsupported claims about the railway being seen as a luxury and other countries praising London’s system. These points do not come from the table, and the final statement that the system is successful everywhere is too general. To improve, give a clear overview of the extremes and support it with accurate comparisons from the data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, comments about opening dates, and a concluding general statement. This gives the reader some sense of progression, and phrases such as “According to the table” and “At first” attempt to connect ideas. However, the information is not organised around the table’s key comparisons, and the middle paragraphs move into speculation rather than developing a clear summary. The final paragraph repeats a broad claim without drawing together the figures. Grouping the data—for example, older and newer systems, then route length and passenger numbers—would create a more logical progression. Use linking phrases to show actual comparisons, rather than relying on general transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “underground railway,” “passengers per year,” and “opened,” so the topic is generally understandable. There is also an attempt to vary wording with phrases such as “mean of travel” and “great way of travelling.” However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward, including “count of kilometers it travelled” and “a luxury.” Spelling errors such as “peseesngers” and “Japapnese” are noticeable, while “great number” is an imprecise description of the figures. Aim for precise data-reporting language such as “route length,” “annual passenger numbers,” “recorded,” and “the highest/lowest figure.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a sentence beginning “According to the table” and a complex sentence with “when.” The main ideas can usually be followed, but grammatical control is inconsistent. For example, “in total of six cities” is missing an article or a more suitable construction, and “the London railway opened at first” has an awkward sentence pattern. In “London railway had a astonishing number,” the article does not agree with the following sound, and the sentence beginning “praised by other countries” is not clearly attached to a subject. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, particularly at the start of sentences and with city names. Practise accurate article use and complete, clearly structured sentences.

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