Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-26

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)

Introduction:

Here we have six railway system in underground.The opened date,kilometers of route and passenger in per year are written in table.So,we find the avergae of all cities railway system.Moreover,we have main cities of subcontinent.

Overview:

The table shows six main cities.The first city mentioned in a table is London which is opened in 1863.Moreover,there are many cities after London but in last LosAngeles is the last city which we see in a table and it was opened in 2001.

Paragraph:

As we see in a table it shows the underground railway system.There are six cities e.g London,Paris,Tokyo,Wahington DC,Kyoto,Los Angeles.It was opened in 1863,1900,1927,1976,1981,2001 respectively.London was the city which passed and take long route other than remaining cities.It covers 394 kilometers of route.After that Paris covers 199 km then Tokyo 155 then 126,11,and 28 respectively.Kyoto was in least because it covers only 11km.Moreover,in Tokyo the ample amount of passengers travel per year and the population which traveled is 1927 after that 1191 in Paris.However,in Kyoto peoples were travelled in less amount other than remaining cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the table’s subject and report several relevant figures, including London’s 394-kilometre network, Kyoto’s 11 kilometres, and Tokyo’s 1,927 million annual passengers. You also note the broad contrast between the oldest system, London, and the newest, Los Angeles. However, the summary is only partial: the overview mainly lists opening dates rather than highlighting the key comparisons across all three measures. Some data are omitted or unclear, such as Los Angeles’s passenger figure and Washington DC’s low annual usage. The claim that the cities are “of subcontinent” is unsupported by the table. To develop the response, give a concise overview of the largest and smallest networks and the busiest and least-used systems, then compare the figures accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has an introduction, an overview, and a data paragraph, so there is some organisation and the reader can follow the general topic. The sequence from opening dates to route lengths and passenger numbers also gives the final paragraph a basic structure. However, the overview repeats information from the introduction and does not establish a clear progression of the main features. Linking words such as “Moreover,” “After that,” and “However” are used mechanically or do not express the relationship between the facts clearly. The phrase “then 126,11,and 28 respectively” also makes the comparisons difficult to follow. Group the figures by meaningful contrasts and use clear references, such as “the next-longest network” or “by contrast,” to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “underground railway system,” “kilometers of route,” and “passengers per year,” and you attempt to describe comparisons with phrases such as “the least” and “ample amount.” However, the range is limited, and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which can make the meaning unclear. For example, “the city which passed and take long route” does not clearly describe London’s network, while “the population which traveled” is not an appropriate way to refer to passenger totals. There are also spelling and spacing problems, including “avergae,” “Wahington,” and “LosAngeles.” Practise precise chart language such as “network length,” “carried,” “recorded,” and “the highest annual passenger total.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with linking words, but the range is limited and errors occur frequently. These include missing or incorrect articles and plurals in “six railway system in underground,” and faulty verb forms in “which is opened in 1863” and “peoples were travelled.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “After that Paris covers 199 km then Tokyo 155 then 126,11,and 28 respectively,” which combines several comparisons without clear grammatical structure. These errors sometimes make it difficult to identify what is being compared. Build accuracy with clear patterns such as “London’s system opened in 1863” and “Tokyo carries 1,927 million passengers annually,” then check agreement, articles, and punctuation.

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