Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-28

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 the information about underground railway tracks of six cities .

Overall,there are six different cities .London itroduced the first railway station in 1863 and also the highest route among all cities .Tokyo listed with the highest ratio of passengers while kyoto has the lowest percentage .

London had the oldest railway track while the railway track of los angles was opened in 2001 .Station of london has the longest route of about 394 kilometers and los angels has the route of only 28 kilometers .Washington dc introduced their track on 1976 which have the percentage of 144 millions of passengers per year .

The underground railway track of kyoto has lowest route of railway and also the lowest ratio of passengers .Finally,the station of paris has the route of 199 kilometers and the percentage of passengers is about 1191 million per year while los angels has the

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important features, including London as the oldest system with the longest route, Tokyo as having the most passengers, and Kyoto as having the smallest route and passenger total. These are relevant comparisons and give the response a basic overview. However, the summary is only partial: Paris’s route and passenger figures are mentioned, but the final comparison is left unfinished, and the figures for Tokyo and Kyoto are not reported. Some descriptions are also inaccurate or unclear, such as calling passenger totals a “ratio” or “percentage.” To strengthen the response, cover all six cities with accurate figures and make the main contrasts explicit, especially the difference between route length and annual passenger numbers.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, an overview, and then details about several cities. Linking words such as “Overall,” “while,” and “Finally” show an attempt to connect information. However, progression is difficult to follow because the details are not grouped or ordered consistently, and the final sentence stops before completing its comparison. Repeated references to “railway track” also make the account feel repetitive, while some links between ideas are unclear. Organise the data into a clear overview followed by comparisons—for example, older and larger systems first, then the smaller, newer ones—and ensure each sentence is complete and connected to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “route,” “kilometers,” “passengers per year,” and “opened,” so the reader can generally identify the topic. However, the range is limited and several word choices are inaccurate for describing the table. “Ratio” and “percentage” do not mean passenger totals here, and “railway track” is repeated where “system” or “network” would be more natural. There are also spelling errors in city names, including “los angles” and “los angels,” which reduce precision. Aim to use the table’s terms consistently and choose vocabulary that describes quantities accurately, such as “annual ridership” or “carried.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparisons, using structures such as “while” to contrast cities. However, grammatical control is uneven, and errors sometimes make relationships between figures unclear. Examples include “London itroduced” and “Washington dc introduced their track,” where verb form or agreement is problematic, and “which have the percentage” has an unclear relative clause and subject–verb agreement. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “Finally,the station…”. Use complete, carefully punctuated sentences, check singular and plural agreement, and practise comparison patterns such as “London’s network is longer than…” and “Tokyo carries more passengers than…”.

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