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 given table chart illustrates the information about the underground rail road transportation system in London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles from 1863 to 2001.

Overall, the maximum number of trains were used by people who live in Tokyo, while least residents of Kyoto were travelled by railway transportation.

After analysing, it can be clearly seen that most of passengers in Tokyo were used this mode of transportation who travelled 155 kilometers in 1927 and it was followed by Paris population in 1900, whilst minimum number of passengers of Kyoto had travelled 11 kilometers in 1981.

Moving further towards the remaining data, in 1863, 775 millions passengers were visited to London which was route of 394 kilometers. In contrast, in Washington DC, 126 kilometers of distance was took by 144 millions of visitors per year in 1967. However, 28 kilometers of pathway was acquired by 50 millions tourists in Los Angeles during 2001.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the table’s subject and include an overview that points to Tokyo’s high passenger use and Kyoto’s low figures. However, the overview is not fully accurate: Tokyo has the most passengers, but Kyoto has the fewest, while the statement about “maximum number of trains” does not match the data. Several comparisons also confuse route length with passenger numbers. For example, Tokyo’s 155 km is presented as if it were the distance travelled by passengers, and Paris is mentioned without reporting its figures. Washington DC’s opening year is given as 1967 rather than 1976. To make the summary more complete and precise, report the key extremes across all columns and compare the cities using the correct figures, including Paris and the two newer systems.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs of details. This gives the information an overall arrangement, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “Moving further” help signal progression. However, the progression is not consistently clear because the details are grouped without a clear comparison principle, and some references are difficult to follow. For instance, “it was followed by Paris population” does not specify whether this refers to passenger numbers or route length. The repeated use of “After analysing” and “Moving further” also feels mechanical. Organise the data into clear comparisons—such as older versus newer systems or highest versus lowest figures—and use precise references to the relevant measure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “underground,” “transportation system,” “route,” and “per year,” and you attempt more formal phrasing. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the data harder to understand. “Maximum number of trains” refers to trains rather than passengers, while “passengers … were visited to London” and “pathway was acquired” do not express the intended meaning. “Rail road” is also not the usual term for an underground railway. Aim for direct, accurate language such as “carried,” “served,” “recorded,” and “route length.” Reusing the table’s labels where appropriate is preferable to choosing elaborate phrases that do not fit the meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast clause beginning “while” and a sentence introduced by “However.” Some sentence patterns communicate the broad comparison, but errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction recur. For example, “most of passengers … were used” has an incorrect article and passive construction; “least residents … were travelled” also uses an unsuitable verb form. In “126 kilometers of distance was took,” the passive verb form is incorrect, and “775 millions passengers” has a number-form error. These problems sometimes obscure the relationship between the figures. Practise accurate active constructions, such as “Tokyo’s system carried 1,927 million passengers,” and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and plural forms.

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.