Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-12

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 charts depicts information regarding underground railway systems in a six different cities. Namely, London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Kyoto and Los Angeles. The data is given in millions.

Overall, it is readily apparent that highest number of passengers are travelling in Tokyo and in Paris, while least number of passengers showed in Kyoto city. Whereas, longest kilometers of railway route are in London and Paris cities.

To begin with, the first underground railway were open in London city, around 1863 with the route of 394 kilometers and travelling around 775 millions passengers every year, While least number of passengers travelling in Kyoto and in Los Angeles, the number of 45 and 50 millions per year and started in 1981 and 2001, with the route of 11 and 28 kilometers.

On the other hand, second highest route has Paris, with 199 kilometers, which open in 1900 and travelling around 1191 millions passengers every year. Moreover, the highest number of passengers travelling in Tokyo city, which is 1191 millions passengers every year and open in 1927, which has 155 kilometers of route. In the Washington DC underground railway was open in 1976, with 126 kilometer of route and travelling around 144 million passengers every year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main comparisons: London has the oldest system and longest route, Tokyo and Paris carry the most passengers, and Kyoto has the fewest. The overview gives the reader a useful summary, and the body includes figures for all six cities. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate. In particular, you state that Tokyo carries “1191 millions” passengers, but the table gives 1,927 million; 1,191 million belongs to Paris. The overview also calls Paris one of the cities with the longest routes, but does not clearly distinguish its route length from London’s. Check each figure carefully and make the key comparisons more precise, including that Tokyo has the highest passenger total despite having a shorter route than Paris and London.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs. Grouping the older, larger systems separately from the later or smaller ones helps organise the information. Some links, however, are mechanical or do not clearly express the relationship between ideas. For example, “Whereas” begins a sentence fragment in the overview, and “On the other hand” does not introduce a clear contrast in the final paragraph. The sentence beginning “To begin with” also combines London with Kyoto and Los Angeles, making the comparison harder to follow. Use paragraphs organised around a clear feature—such as opening dates and route lengths, then passenger numbers—and connect comparisons directly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a table, including “route,” “passengers per year,” “highest” and “least.” This is enough to communicate the general subject, but the range is somewhat repetitive and several combinations are unnatural or imprecise. Phrases such as “longest kilometers of railway route,” “passengers showed in Kyoto city” and “travelling around” do not sound natural in this context. There is also an inaccurate use of “data is given in millions,” since the table’s dates and route lengths are not expressed in millions. Aim for concise, standard reporting language and vary the verbs used to describe the figures, while ensuring that the chosen wording does not alter their meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, some errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles and verb forms remain. The opening, “The table charts depicts,” combines two subjects and has incorrect agreement; “in a six different cities” also has an unnecessary article. In “the first underground railway were open,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “which open in 1900” needs a past-tense verb. The sentence beginning “Whereas” is incomplete, while several long sentences join multiple comparisons without clear punctuation. Practise building complete sentences with one main comparison at a time, and check subject–verb agreement and past-tense forms.

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