Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-05

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 5.5)

The facts beneath provides data relevant to the belowground railway systems in six urban areas.

What stands out from this informative table regarding underground railway systems is that, Tokyo holds a maximum number of passengers in a calender year with relatively less kilometers of route , follow by the Paris, who's come second in terms of passengers they handle with long route as compare to Tokyo. Other than that, Washington DC, London, Kyoto, Los Angeles relatively shorter route and less number of passengers they have.

First of all, in 1927, Tokyo open their railway systems with very successful respons by the passengers which is 1927 million in one year, having the route of 155 kilometers. Secondly, Paris open their railway systems in 1900, and have second highest passengers after Tokyo which is 1191 million per year and having longer router as comapre to Tokyo.

Additionally, London holds a longest route of underground railway system which is opened in 1863, consist of 394 kilometers, but holds less number of passengers in a year which is 775 million, which is relatively very less if we look above two countries. Furthermore, Washington DC opened their railway systems in 1976, Kyoto in 1981, and Los Angeles in 2021. All of this three areas not so much good if we look their number of passengers in a year having passengers about 144 million, 45 million, 50 million, and also consist of very short route which is 126 kilometers, 11 kilometers, and 28 kilometers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important comparisons, including Tokyo’s highest annual passenger figure, London’s longest route, and the relatively small systems in Kyoto and Los Angeles. However, the overview is not fully accurate or clear: London is described as having a “relatively shorter route,” despite its route being the longest, and the opening paragraph groups cities together without stating the main contrasts precisely. There is also a factual error: Los Angeles opened in 2001, not 2021. Some figures are reported correctly, but the response does not consistently compare all six systems or highlight that Tokyo carries the most passengers despite having a shorter route than London and Paris. A clearer overview and more accurate, selective comparisons would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the older and newer systems. Sequencing words such as “First of all,” “Secondly,” and “Additionally” help signal movement between points. However, progression is sometimes difficult to follow because the overview combines several cities in a vague list, and the final paragraph places three systems together without clearly separating their figures. Phrases such as “Other than that” and “All of this three areas” do not establish precise relationships between ideas. Grouping the data more deliberately—for example, comparing the three largest systems first and then the smaller ones—would make the organisation clearer and reduce the need for repetitive transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “underground railway systems,” “passengers,” “route,” and “kilometers,” so the subject is generally understandable. There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “maximum number” and “longest route.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or awkward: “successful respons by the passengers” does not naturally describe passenger numbers, while “longer router” and “not so much good” are unclear. Spelling errors such as “calender,” “comapre,” and “respons” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, conventional reporting language, such as “recorded the highest annual ridership” and “had the shortest route,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including comparisons and clauses introduced by “which” and “but.” Nevertheless, errors are frequent, and some sentence structures make the relationships between facts difficult to understand. For example, “Tokyo open their railway systems” has incorrect tense and agreement, while “London holds a longest route … which is opened in 1863, consist of 394 kilometers” contains problems with articles, verb forms, and sentence structure. The final sentence also shifts awkwardly between plural subjects and singular phrasing. Use past simple for opening dates (“Tokyo’s system opened in 1927”) and build shorter, complete sentences before attempting longer comparisons. More consistent control of verbs, articles, and punctuation would improve clarity.

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