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)

The table illustrates details regarding opening date, length of track and annual count of travellers of underground metro in six cities.

To conclude, it is noteworthy fact that the oldest underground railways were not only just the longest in length but also had huge count of passengers, whereas, the latest metros were the opposite of this.

With regarding to the underground subway, London listed as the oldest metro opened with 394 Km of route and 775 millions of headcounts of travelers in a year followed by Paris where this form of travel launched in the year of 1900 and had 199 killometer long route with passanger numbers of 1191 millions per year. Furthermore, with the highest annual fare of 1927 millions tokyo's merto first started in 1927 .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the table’s subject and offer an overview contrasting older and newer systems, which shows an attempt to select key features. However, the overview is not fully accurate: London has the longest route, but Tokyo—not London or Paris—has the highest annual passenger total. The response reports only London, Paris and part of Tokyo, leaving Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles unmentioned, so the main comparisons across all six cities are missing. The claim that the oldest systems had the “huge count” of passengers also overgeneralises. The response is below the required 150 words, further limiting its coverage. To strengthen the summary, include all cities and accurately compare the extremes in opening date, route length and passenger numbers.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic progression from an introduction to an overview and then to selected details, and phrases such as “followed by” and “Furthermore” attempt to connect information. However, the response ends abruptly during the Tokyo detail and does not group or compare the figures in a clear, complete way. The overview’s contrast is difficult to follow because it suggests that the oldest systems also had the highest passenger numbers, which the table does not show. Some linking is mechanical or awkward, particularly “With regarding to” and “whereas” after a comma. Organise the body into clear comparisons—for example, older, longer systems versus newer, shorter ones—and use transitions that accurately show the relationship between the figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of topic-related vocabulary, including “opening date,” “length of track,” “annual,” and “route,” and the main subject remains understandable. There are also attempts at less common or varied expressions, such as “noteworthy” and “launched.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this data summary: “headcounts of travelers,” “annual fare,” and “form of travel” do not precisely describe passenger totals or metro systems. Spelling errors such as “killometer,” “passanger,” and “merto” also reduce accuracy. Prefer standard, precise terms such as “annual passenger numbers,” “route length,” and “system began operating,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast clause beginning “whereas” and a longer sentence comparing London and Paris. The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, “it is noteworthy fact” is missing an article, “London listed as the oldest metro opened” lacks a clear verb structure, and “With regarding to” is not a correct prepositional construction. The final Tokyo sentence also has an unclear structure, with the passenger figure placed before the subject and verb. Use complete, direct sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check articles, prepositions and punctuation when joining comparisons.

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

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