Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-07-27
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 provided table demontrates the information regarding underground railway system in six cities including london, paris, tokyo, washington, kyoto and los angles .It is manifested that , the kyoto city had the smallest route with less passeneger as compared to other city .
To embark with, london city had the oldest railway system with longest route, while the latest was los angeles with smallest route. In london city, subway station was established in 1863 and it covered with 394 kilometers . The passangers carried by train were 775 millions per year. Paris had the second oldest system which installed in 1900 .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the ability to fully address the task. While you have identified some key features, such as the oldest and newest systems, the analysis is incomplete. You have not covered all the data points provided in the table, and the comparison between cities is limited. To improve, you must ensure all parts of the prompt are addressed, including a comprehensive overview of the data and detailed comparisons across all categories (date, route length, and passenger numbers). The current length prevents a full development of the required summary.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into short paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by the lack of content. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To embark with' and 'while', but these are sometimes used awkwardly or mechanically. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure feels disjointed due to the abrupt ending and the limited development of ideas. To achieve a higher band, focus on using a wider range of linking words more naturally and ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus that contributes to a cohesive summary of the data.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are several spelling errors, such as 'demontrates', 'passeneger', and 'angles', and capitalization issues with proper nouns like 'london' and 'paris'. While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'railway system' and 'subway station', the range is not sufficient to demonstrate flexibility. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology for describing data, such as 'commenced', 'spanned', or 'annual ridership', and ensure accurate spelling and capitalization of city names.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'the kyoto city had the smallest route with less passeneger', where the pluralization is incorrect, and 'which installed in 1900', which is a passive voice error. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct use of articles, and ensuring that passive constructions are formed accurately. Increasing the variety of sentence structures while maintaining accuracy will help raise your score.
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