Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-24

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)

In the chart there are six different information , about the underground railway systems for six cities. first mentioned london city , in london city underground railway system was opened in 1863 and the route was about 394km and the Passengers who used it around 775 millions per year. 2nd mentioned paris city , in paris city underground railway system was opened in 1900 and the route was about 199km and the Passengers who used it around 1191 millions per year. than 3rd mentioned tokyo city , in Tokyo city underground railway system was opened in 1927 and the route was about 155km and the Passengers who used it around 1927 millions per year. 4th time mentioned Washington DC , in Washington DC underground railway system was opened in 1976 and the route was about 126km and the Passengers who used it around 144 millions per year.5th time it was kyoto city , in kyoto city underground railway system was opened in 1981 and the route was about 11km and the Passengers who used it around 45 millions per year. and lasr not the list los angeles city , in los angeles city underground railway system was opened in 2001 and the route was about 28km and the Passengers who used it around 50millions per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You include all six cities and report the three figures for each, so the reader can find the key data. However, the response mainly lists entries one by one rather than selecting and summarising the main features. It gives no clear overview of the comparisons—for example, London has the longest route and is the oldest system, while Tokyo carries the most passengers; Kyoto has the shortest route and the fewest passengers. The figures are generally reported accurately, but the task is only minimally addressed because the important patterns are not identified or highlighted. Add an overview and group the cities by notable contrasts, rather than giving each one the same treatment.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The city-by-city order gives the response a basic sequence, and the repeated pattern makes it possible to follow which figures belong to each system. However, there is little overall progression beyond moving from one city to the next, and the response is presented as one long paragraph. Connectors such as “than” and “and” are used mechanically, while “first mentioned” and “2nd mentioned” do not create meaningful comparisons. Some transitions are also unclear, particularly “and lasr not the list.” Use separate paragraphs for an overview and grouped details, and link comparisons explicitly—for instance, contrast the older, longer systems with the newer, shorter ones.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the basic subject and figures, with relevant terms such as “underground railway system,” “route,” and “Passengers per year.” However, the range is limited and repetitive: “in [city] city,” “was opened,” and “the route was about” recur for nearly every entry. Several choices or forms are inaccurate or awkward, including “first mentioned,” “lasr not the list,” and “millions” after individual passenger figures. These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the data, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Use concise reporting language and a wider set of accurate comparison terms, such as “recorded,” “served,” “longest,” and “highest annual ridership.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response relies almost entirely on repeated simple sentence patterns, usually joining several facts with “and,” so it shows little grammatical variety. Errors are frequent, including missing or incorrect articles and capitalization in “first mentioned london city,” and faulty sentence construction in “in london city underground railway system was opened.” The opening phrase “there are six different information” also has an agreement and countability problem. Punctuation is inconsistent, with run-on sentences and missing spaces after full stops. These patterns sometimes make the writing awkward, although the intended facts remain understandable. Practise accurate sentence frames such as “London’s system, which opened in 1863, has a 394-kilometre route” and vary them to express 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.