Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-02

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 4.5)

The given table illustrates the information of underground railway system in different six cities. Here we discuss the main features and comparison between six cities.

Overall, the table illustrates the opened date, their routes in kilometers and the passengers travelling per year in six different cities.

Furthermore. London underground railway system opened in 1863 with 394 kilometers route and 775 million passengers travelling per year. london has the longest route all the cities. Kyoto underground railway system opened in 1981 with 11 kilometers route and 45 million people travelled per year. Kyoto is the shartest route under the six cities.

Moreover, Washington DC opened in 1981 with 126 kilometers route and 45 million people travelling per year. Tokyo is the high ranged in six diferent cicties because of his 12

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the table’s subject and include some relevant figures, such as London’s 394-kilometre network and Kyoto’s 11-kilometre route. However, the summary is incomplete and does not adequately report or compare all six cities. The overview mainly repeats the table categories rather than highlighting the key patterns, and the final statement about Tokyo is cut off (“because of his 12”), leaving its comparison unclear. There is also a factual error: Washington DC opened in 1976, not 1981, and its annual passenger figure is 144 million, not 45 million. The response is 20 words below the required minimum. To improve, provide a complete overview and accurately select the most notable contrasts, including Tokyo’s highest passenger total and London’s oldest and longest system.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an introduction and overview are followed by paragraphs beginning “Furthermore” and “Moreover.” This gives the reader some indication of how the information is being presented. However, progression is difficult to follow because the overview does not identify the main trends, and the body moves between cities without a clear grouping or consistent comparison. The final sentence is incomplete, so the discussion ends abruptly. Some linking words are also used mechanically, and “Furthermore.” is incorrectly separated by a full stop. Organise the details into clear comparisons—for example, older and larger systems versus newer and smaller ones—and ensure each paragraph develops a complete point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “underground railway system,” “route,” “passengers,” and “opened,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or awkward, such as “the information of,” “longest route all the cities,” and “high ranged.” Spelling errors including “shartest” and “diferent” also reduce precision, while “cicties” makes the final comparison harder to understand. Repetition of “opened” and “route” further limits variety. Aim for accurate, natural collocations such as “the system opened,” “the longest network,” and “carried the most passengers,” and check spelling carefully. These changes would make the comparisons clearer without requiring overly complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes some complete simple sentences, such as “Kyoto underground railway system opened in 1981,” and attempts a longer sentence to describe the table. However, the range is limited, and errors in sentence construction and grammatical patterns occur frequently enough to make parts difficult to interpret. For example, “the longest route all the cities” is missing a comparison structure, while “with 11 kilometers route” lacks an article and uses an incomplete noun phrase. The Washington DC sentence also combines incorrect details in a way that obscures the intended comparison, and the final sentence is unfinished. Use complete subject–verb sentences, practise comparative forms such as “longer than,” and check articles and plural forms when describing measurements.

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.