Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-27

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

The table provides the information of underground railway systems in six cities.

Overview

Overall, the underground largest route is London i.e 394 while the highest passenger rate of the year is 1927 of Tokyo and smallest route is 11 and smallest passenger rate is 45 of Kyoto.

Bodyparagraph 1

The first underground railway system was invented in 1863 at London and have largest route while the second one in 1900 at Paris and have second largest route and third one in 1927 at Tokyo and have third largest route.Meanwhile the highest passenger rate of overall is 1927 of Tokyo.

Bodyparagraph 2

There is a major inclined starts in 1976 of passenger rate that is 144 and also covering a smallest route that is 126 in Washington DC.Overall the smallest one in route and passenger rate of Kyoto in 1981 and second lowest one is Los angles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several important comparisons, including London’s longest route, Tokyo’s highest annual passenger figure, and Kyoto’s lowest figures. However, the summary is only partial: it does not clearly report all six cities’ data, and some comparisons are inaccurate or unclear. For example, Washington’s route of 126 km is not the smallest; Kyoto has only 11 km, while Los Angeles has 28 km. The phrase “major inclined starts” does not communicate a meaningful trend in this table, which gives static figures rather than changes over time. The response also falls three words short of the required minimum. To strengthen the report, include a clear overview and accurately compare the opening dates, route lengths, and passenger totals.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, overview, and two body paragraphs, and it groups some of the older systems together. However, progression is limited: the body paragraphs repeat points from the overview, and the information is not consistently organised around clear comparisons. Linking expressions such as “Meanwhile” and “Overall” are used, but they do not always show the relationship between the figures accurately. For instance, the second paragraph moves from Washington’s opening date to its route length and then to Kyoto and Los Angeles without a clear comparison pattern. Organise the details more systematically—for example, compare the three oldest systems first, then the newer systems—and use linking phrases only where they clarify the relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “route,” “passenger rate,” “largest,” and “smallest,” so the reader can identify the general subject of the comparisons. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unnatural. “The underground largest route” and “passenger rate of the year” are not natural ways to describe the table’s figures, while “major inclined starts” is unclear and does not fit the data. There is also a spelling error in “Los angles.” Use precise terms such as “longest route,” “annual passenger numbers,” and “opened,” and check city names carefully. A wider set of comparison language would also help you report the figures more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and joined sentence forms, and the reader can generally follow the main points. However, the range is limited, and errors in verb forms, articles, sentence construction, and punctuation occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward. For example, “The first underground railway system was invented in 1863 at London” uses an unsuitable passive construction and an incorrect preposition, while “and have largest route” has faulty agreement and article use. The sentence beginning “There is a major inclined starts” is also grammatically difficult to interpret. Several sentences run together without spaces after full stops. Practise accurate comparative sentence patterns, such as “London’s system opened in 1863 and has the longest route,” and check agreement, articles, and punctuation.

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