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 table reveals the comparison of the number of passenger per year and their route in kilometers ,opening date on an underground railway systems interms of six cities,namely London,Paris,TokyO,Washington DC,Kyoto,Los Angeles.Passengers number were expressed in Millions.

Overall,Underground railway commence in london earlier than most other countries and had a wide spread of routes.Whereas,the highest passenger commute is seen in Tokyo and modest amount of passenger availing this route is in Kyoto.

Regarding the route perimeter, London possessed of considerable way to commute about 394 whereas kyoto had a least pathways around 11.In 19th century there is only one underground railway started, which was london whereas other constructed in 20th century and only Los Angeles commenced at 21th century.

For passenger capacity, Tokyo served the highest people to commute in different places which is 1927 million. On the other hand, kyoto taking only 45 million of passengers per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify relevant overall features, including London’s early opening and longest route, and Tokyo’s highest passenger total, while Kyoto has the lowest figures in the comparisons you mention. However, the summary is incomplete: it omits Paris’s and Washington DC’s passenger figures and gives little comparison across the six systems. The statement that London opened earlier than “most other countries” is also imprecise; the table compares cities, and London is the earliest of all six. The response is 2 words below the required minimum. To strengthen the report, include the key contrasts across all cities, such as Paris carrying more passengers than London despite having a shorter route, and accurately describe the opening dates.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs about route length and passenger numbers. This gives the reader a coherent overall arrangement. The ideas within those paragraphs, however, are not always connected smoothly. For example, the sentence about the 19th and 20th centuries appears in the route paragraph, although it concerns opening dates, and the final paragraph gives only two passenger figures without linking them to the other cities. Some transitions, such as “Whereas” at the start of a sentence, feel mechanical or incomplete. Grouping the information by clear comparisons and using linking phrases to show contrasts would make the progression more logical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “passenger,” “routes,” “commute,” and “capacity,” and the main comparisons are generally understandable. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “route perimeter,” “considerable way to commute,” and “modest amount of passenger availing this route.” “Countries” is also not the right term when the table lists cities. Capitalisation and spelling are inconsistent, including “london,” “TokyO,” and “interms.” These issues make the report less precise and natural, though its basic meaning remains clear. Prefer standard data-reporting language, such as “route length,” “carried,” and “annual passenger numbers,” and check spelling and capitalisation carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a few complex structures, including the contrast beginning “Whereas” and the sentence comparing opening dates, but control is uneven. Errors in sentence formation and agreement appear in phrases such as “The table reveals the comparison … on an underground railway systems” and “kyoto taking only 45 million.” Articles and plurals are also problematic, as in “a least pathways,” while punctuation and spacing are inconsistent throughout. These errors sometimes make the relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Build more reliable simple sentences first, then add controlled comparisons using forms such as “London has the longest route, whereas Kyoto has the shortest.” Check subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries during revision.

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