Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-22

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 illustrate the information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

In an overview the highest city underground railway systems is london , and the lowest city underground railway systems is kyoto .

First and foremost in 1863 the underground railway systems in london 394 kilometers of route travel , and passenger travelling per year 775 . Furthermore , in 1900 the underground railway systems in paris , and the 199 kilometers of route , and passenger travelling per year 1191 . Additionaly in 1927 the underground railway systems in tokyo , and 155 kilometers of route , and passengers travelling per year 1927 . As well as in 1976 in washington DC , and 126 kilometers of route travelling , and 144 passengers per year.

At least but not last 1981 in kyoto 11 kilometers of route , and passenger 45 travelling per year . At the end of 2001 in los angeles 28 kilometers of route , and 50 passengers travelling per year .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You include information for all six cities and report the opening dates, route lengths and annual passenger figures, so the response is relevant to the table. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: London has the longest route, but Tokyo—not London—has the highest passenger total, while Kyoto has the shortest route and lowest passenger figure. The body mostly lists figures without selecting the most important comparisons, such as Tokyo’s much higher passenger use despite having a shorter route than Paris. Some details are also difficult to interpret because the sentences do not clearly state what each figure represents. Make the overview accurate and compare the main extremes and contrasts explicitly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, with an introductory sentence, an attempted overview and body paragraphs covering the cities. The chronological order gives the information some organisation. However, there is little clear progression from the overview to meaningful comparisons, and the body reads mainly as a sequence of separate entries. Linking phrases such as “First and foremost,” “Furthermore,” “Additionaly,” and “At least but not last” are repetitive or used inaccurately, so they do not reliably show how the data relate. Grouping older and newer systems, or comparing the largest and smallest figures, would create a clearer structure. Use fewer, more precise transitions and connect related figures within complete comparison sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “underground railway systems,” “kilometers of route,” and “passengers per year,” which helps identify the table’s subject. However, the range is limited and several phrases are unnatural or imprecise, such as “highest city underground railway systems,” “passenger travelling per year,” and “kilometers of route travel.” These expressions sometimes make it harder to understand whether you mean route length or passenger numbers. There are also spelling and capitalisation slips, including “Additionaly” and lowercase city names. Aim for concise, standard data-reporting language and check spelling and proper nouns carefully; accurate collocations will make the comparisons clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a few longer sentences and uses time expressions to report the opening dates, but sentence structures are mostly limited and many are incomplete. For example, “in 1863 the underground railway systems in london 394 kilometers of route travel” has no correctly formed main verb, while “in 1900 the underground railway systems in paris, and the 199 kilometers…” is a fragment. Subject–verb agreement is also incorrect in “The table illustrate,” and articles and sentence punctuation are often missing or misplaced. These recurring problems make some details difficult to follow. Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, such as “London’s system opened in 1863 and has a route of 394 kilometres,” then vary the structure with accurate comparisons.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.