Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-01

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 bellow gives us a piece information about the underground system in six cities , London and Paris wre the ancient cities where opened , Kyoto and Los Angeles had the newest date opened . Tokyo and Washington DC were in the midlle. London is the first city with kilometers of route in the other hand the lowest kilometers of route is Kyoto and Tokyo have the largest number of passengers per year while Kyoto other time is the lowest passengers per year but Paris is similar to Tokyo they have a litlle difference in passengers per year what chocked me that London dont have a huge number of passengers per year , and Washington also have a low number in passenger per year which means there are no a lot of tourist in that country they dont encourge there country to be touristic place like Tokyo and Paris they have a huge number.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion4.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant comparisons, including London as the oldest system and the longest route, Kyoto as the shortest, and Tokyo as having the highest passenger total. However, the overview is not clearly separated from the details, and some key information is missing or inaccurate: Paris has the second-highest passenger figure, while Washington DC has the second-shortest route, but these comparisons are not clearly reported. The claim that low passenger numbers mean there are few tourists or that a country does not encourage tourism is unsupported by the table. To develop the response, summarise the main patterns accurately and compare the figures without adding explanations the data cannot establish.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response contains a sequence of comparisons, so the reader can identify some of the intended main features. However, the ideas are crowded into one long paragraph and do not follow a clear overall progression from an overview to grouped details. Linking phrases such as “in the other hand” and “what chocked me” are either inaccurate or conversational, and repeated use of “and” makes relationships between points difficult to follow. Organise the information into a brief overview followed by comparisons, for example grouping the oldest and longest systems together, then contrasting passenger figures and the newer, shorter networks. Use clear, accurate connectors only where they show a real relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “kilometers of route,” “passengers per year,” and “largest number,” which helps communicate the table’s subject. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make parts of the response harder to understand, such as “bellow,” “ancient,” “midlle,” and “chocked.” Some expressions are also imprecise or unsuitable for an academic summary: “what chocked me” is conversational, while “there are no a lot of tourist” does not express the data accurately. Build a more precise set of comparison terms, and check spelling and collocations. Prefer neutral descriptions of the figures rather than evaluative or speculative language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to connect several ideas in longer sentences, but the structures are often faulty, and errors sometimes make relationships unclear. For example, “London and Paris wre the ancient cities where opened” lacks a correct clause structure, while “Tokyo and Washington DC were in the midlle” does not clearly state what they are in the middle of. There are also recurring problems with articles, plurals, agreement, and punctuation, as in “a lot of tourist” and “London dont have.” Sentence boundaries are difficult to follow because the response is largely one run-on sentence. Use shorter, complete sentences and practise accurate comparative structures, such as “London has the longest route, whereas Kyoto has the shortest.”

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