Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-01
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 illustrates the information concerning the underground rail systems in six different cities.
Overall, the six cities saw a significant rise throughout the period, with London and Paris maintaining low levels in the date opened and gradual increase seen in Tokyo and Washington DC. Although Kyoto also maintained this surge, but Los Angeles was the peak. London was on high level on kilometer of route but passenger per year in number in million wasn’t consistent.
On date opened, London was on the high level with 1863, but is not greater than the surge in date seen in Los Angeles where the railway was constructed on 2001. The date opened still maintained form lower level to higher number, where rail in Paris was built on 1900, Tokyo 1927 and Washington DC in 1976.
In contrast to date opened, kilometers of route was up to a thousand in number, meanwhile passenger per year’s number was not consistent compared to date opened.
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 attempts to summarise the data but fails to accurately report the main features. The overview is confusing and contains factual inaccuracies, such as claiming Los Angeles was the 'peak' when it has the lowest route length and relatively low passenger numbers. The comparison of data is weak; for instance, the description of the 'date opened' as a 'surge' is inappropriate for chronological data. Furthermore, the report lacks a clear focus on the key trends, such as the inverse relationship between the age of the system and the number of passengers in cities like Tokyo. To improve, focus on identifying the highest and lowest values and grouping cities by shared characteristics.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The transition between ideas is often abrupt, and the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes misused, such as the phrase 'In contrast to date opened' which does not effectively link the preceding information to the following sentence. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison of the six cities. Improving the use of linking words (e.g., 'whereas', 'in comparison', 'consequently') would help create a smoother flow between sentences and paragraphs.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'maintaining low levels in the date opened' and 'passenger per year in number in million wasn’t consistent'. These choices do not accurately convey the data provided in the table. The student relies on basic descriptors and struggles to use precise terminology for statistical reporting. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more varied and precise vocabulary related to data trends, such as 'the oldest system', 'the most extensive network', or 'the highest volume of passengers'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'kilometers of route was up to a thousand', and awkward sentence structures, for example, 'London was on high level on kilometer of route'. The use of articles and prepositions is also inconsistent. While there is an attempt to use complex sentences, they are often faulty, leading to confusion. Focusing on basic sentence construction and ensuring correct verb forms and pluralisation would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.
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