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 shows the railway systems in six underground cities with their dates of opening , their route and passenger per year that is in millions , along with their compasrision.

the oldest underground railway system was in London, launched in 1863 , its route is about 394 kilometers, with 775 passengers per year according to given data ,

eventually undergroubd rail way systmes was increased , afet london , Paris & Tokyo becomes the next destination for underground railways which was openend on 1900 & 1927 which was start of 1900s years consist of 1191 and 1927 passengers per year.

at last the table represets the loaAngeles its railyway opened in 2001 with the shortest rout that was 28 kilometrs along 50 passengers ,

If we compare all of them so we can see, statistics shows the largest number of passengers were in tokyo and the lowest were in kyoto that was 45 .

the maxim maximum distance rout of london , while kyoto had very short rout of distance

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant features, including London as the oldest system, its 394-kilometre route, Tokyo’s highest passenger figure, and Kyoto’s lowest. However, the summary only partially covers the table: Paris and Tokyo are mentioned together without clearly reporting their route lengths, and Washington DC is omitted. Some comparisons are also inaccurate or unclear; for example, Los Angeles is described as having the shortest route, although Kyoto’s route is shorter, and the final comparison does not clearly state that London has the longest route. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the main extremes, then report accurate figures for all six cities and compare route length with annual passenger numbers.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: the response begins by introducing the table, then gives details about older systems, and ends with comparisons. However, the progression is not consistently clear, and the paragraphing does not create a well-ordered summary. Connectors such as “eventually,” “at last,” and “If we compare all of them” are used mechanically or do not accurately signal the relationship between ideas. The sentence about Paris and Tokyo combines dates and passenger figures in a way that makes the information difficult to follow, while the final line repeats the route comparison without completing it clearly. Grouping the data into a clear overview and two comparison paragraphs, with one main point per sentence, would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “railway system,” “route,” “passengers,” and “largest number,” so the reader can recognise the topic and several comparisons. However, the range is limited and repeated, and noticeable spelling and word-choice errors sometimes make the message harder to understand. Examples include “compasrision,” “undergroubd,” “systmes,” and “kilometrs.” Phrases such as “six underground cities” and “next destination for underground railways” are also imprecise for describing the table. Use accurate data-reporting language and check spelling carefully; for example, “annual passenger numbers” and “the system opened in” are clearer and more natural choices.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple statements and longer sentences, but the range is limited and longer constructions are often faulty. For example, “the oldest underground railway system was in London, launched in 1863” has an unclear sentence structure, while “Paris & Tokyo becomes the next destination … which was openend” has problems with agreement and verb form. Articles and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent, as in the opening sentence, which runs several ideas together with commas. The final fragment, “the maxim maximum distance rout of london,” is not a complete grammatical sentence. Practise forming clear subject–verb sentences, using past tense consistently for opening dates, and separating comparisons with full stops.

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.