Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-10

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 below provides the information about the underground railway system in six different cities namely London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto, Los Angeles.

Overall, it is clear that the fastest railway system date opened in 1863 for London and the Los Angeles was the last to open date for underground railway.

London was the city that route was almost double comparitevely than others with 394KM with 775 millions of passengers. Furthermore, according to the number of passengers Tokyo was the most used underground railway systems with 1927 millions and route was about 155KM.

Similarly, Kyoto's underground railway system route were the smallest route amoung all other cities and it was also used by only 45 millions people whereas, Los Angeles route was the one who was made after 2000 with 50 millions passengers per year.

In conclusion, all the cities have shared the same information and made the railway system and it is very crucial for positive development for the nation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the table’s subject and report several important comparisons: London has the longest route, Tokyo carries the most passengers, and Kyoto has the shortest route. However, the overview is not fully accurate or clear: “fastest railway system date opened” confuses the opening date with speed, and the response does not clearly summarise the overall patterns across all six systems. Several figures and comparisons are omitted, including Paris’s high passenger total and Washington DC’s figures. The final statement about railway systems being “crucial for positive development” is not supported by the table and does not help describe its data. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the oldest/largest and newest/smallest systems, then compare the remaining cities using accurate figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable sequence: an introduction, several comparison statements, and a concluding sentence. Linking expressions such as “Furthermore,” “Similarly,” and “whereas” show an attempt to connect information. However, progression is limited because the comparisons are not organised into clear groups, and some links do not express the relationship accurately. For example, “Similarly” introduces a contrast between Kyoto and Los Angeles, while “In conclusion” leads to a general opinion rather than a summary of the data. The long opening sentence also lists all six cities without establishing a useful structure. Grouping the oldest and longest systems together, then comparing the newer and shorter ones, would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a table, including “route,” “passengers per year,” “smallest,” and “last to open.” This gives the reader a basic understanding of the comparisons. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “fastest railway system date opened,” “almost double comparitevely,” and “the one who was made after 2000.” These expressions make some comparisons difficult to interpret. Spelling errors, including “comparitevely” and “amoung,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise data-reporting language, such as “opened,” “carried,” “had the longest route,” and “approximately twice as long,” and avoid adding meanings such as speed that the table does not provide.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including a sentence with “whereas,” and the main comparisons can generally be understood. However, control is inconsistent, and complex constructions often contain errors. For example, “the fastest railway system date opened in 1863 for London” has an unclear grammatical structure, while “Kyoto's underground railway system route were the smallest route” has problems with noun structure and subject–verb agreement. The sentence beginning “London was the city that route was…” is also difficult to follow. Use straightforward comparative sentence patterns first, such as “London’s route was the longest, at 394 km,” and check agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries before attempting longer structures.

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.