Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-04

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 represents some data about the underground railway transport in six areas.

Underground railway transport.

The longest transport system is located in London, which started in 1863, and its length is 394km. It serves 775 million people per year. Kyoto has also an underground transport system, which is open in 1981 and also it's lenght is 11km. They complete 45million passengers per year.

The first underground system started in 1863 in London, and the new transport system started in 2001 in Los Angeles which is longer 28 km and it serves 50 passengers in one year.

Many cities have an underground railway system: London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles but the high traffic in these cities is Tokyo transport station because it carries 1,927 million passengers per year. Thwe Paris and Tokyo are also competitors compared to other cities, and both cover high people per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant features, including London as the oldest and longest system and Tokyo as the busiest, and you include figures for London, Kyoto, and Los Angeles. However, the overview is incomplete: the response does not clearly compare all six systems or highlight the main contrasts across opening dates, route lengths, and passenger numbers. Paris is mentioned only vaguely, and Washington DC is listed without any data. The statement that Paris and Tokyo are “competitors” does not explain their relative figures, while “high traffic” is not supported by a clear comparison. To strengthen the report, select the key extremes and compare the remaining cities accurately, rather than focusing on a few isolated details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response has a basic sequence, moving from London and Kyoto to Los Angeles and then to Tokyo, so some relevant information is grouped together. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the opening repeats the task title, and the final paragraph returns to a general list of cities rather than developing a clear comparison. Connections such as “also” and “but” do not always show the relationship between the figures, and “Thwe Paris and Tokyo” makes the final point especially unclear. Organise the report into a brief overview followed by comparisons of the oldest/largest systems and the smaller/newer ones. Use linking phrases to show contrasts and rankings explicitly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “underground railway system,” “length,” “started,” and “passengers per year,” and the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “underground railway transport” and “transport station” do not accurately describe the systems, while “high traffic” is vague in this context. There are also noticeable spelling and form errors, such as “lenght” and “Thwe,” which reduce the polish of the report. Aim for precise terms such as “route length,” “annual passenger numbers,” and “carried,” and avoid repeating “transport system” when a more specific noun is available.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You form some understandable simple sentences and attempt to combine information with relative clauses, as in “London, which started in 1863.” However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors recur in verb forms, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “Kyoto … which is open in 1981” uses an unsuitable tense, and “They complete 45million passengers” has an unclear subject and faulty verb pattern. The sentence beginning “The first underground system started…” also has an awkward comparison structure. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions for opening dates and clear subject–verb patterns for passenger figures. More controlled complex sentences would help you compare data without sacrificing clarity.

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