Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-13

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 shows the information of an underground railway system in six cities. the chart tells about four things city, date when it is opened, kilometers of route and passengers per year.

London has oldest railway system in the world, which is 1863 while the recent one is in Los Angeles which was opened in 2001. The longest railway track is also in London which is 394 kilometers while the shortest one is in Kyoto which is 11 kilometers. While London having the oldest railway and the longest track but still lower passengers per year which is 775 million.

Tokyo has the buisiest railway station of about 1927 million people while the less buisiest one is in Kyoto of about 45 million people. Railway station in Tokyo was built in 1927 and has the forth largest railway track in the world while Kyotos railway system was built in 1981 and also has the shortest railway track in the world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important comparisons, including London as the oldest system and the longest by route, Tokyo as having the most passengers, and Kyoto as the smallest and least-used system. However, the overview is not sufficiently clear, and some details are inaccurate or incomplete. For example, London’s 775 million passengers are described as “lower,” but Paris and the other cities are not compared, and Tokyo’s route is called the “forth largest” without establishing the ranking. The response also omits useful figures such as Paris’s 199-kilometre route and Washington’s 144 million passengers. Focus on the main overall patterns, then support them with accurate comparisons across all six cities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction followed by paragraphs comparing route length and passenger numbers. This gives the reader some sense of organisation, and linking words such as “while” help signal contrasts. However, progression is limited because the comparisons are not grouped consistently, and “while” is repeated in ways that make relationships awkward, as in “While London having the oldest railway…” The final paragraph returns to opening dates and route length, so the information feels partly repetitive rather than developing in a clear sequence. Organise the body around two themes—age and route length, then passenger numbers—and use clear comparison phrases to connect the figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “railway system,” “route,” “passengers per year,” “oldest,” and “shortest,” which allows the main comparisons to be understood. However, the range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural. “Busiest railway station” does not describe the passenger total for an entire railway system, and “the recent one” is not a natural way to refer to the newest system. The spelling “buisiest” is also incorrect, while “forth” should be “fourth.” Aim for precise terms such as “annual passenger numbers,” “network,” and “most heavily used,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt some longer structures, including relative clauses such as “which is 1863” and contrast clauses beginning with “while.” These show an effort to vary sentence forms, but errors recur in articles, verb forms, and sentence construction. For example, “an underground railway system in six cities” should refer to systems, and “the date when it is opened” needs a more suitable tense and structure. “While London having…” is not a complete clause; use “Although London has…” instead. Capitalisation after the first full stop is also inconsistent. Practise forming complete contrast clauses and checking subject–verb patterns, articles, and tense choices.

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