Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-03
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 given table chart tells us the details about the underground railway system in six different cities. We'll see that when was the underground railway system started in a specific city, how long is the route and how many passengers visit it annualy.
Overall, we can see that the oldest and the longest underground railway system is found in London while the one in Tokyo is the most crowdy despite of being around one-third the size of London railway system.
Starting from London, this railway system was introduced in 1863, where the route is 394 kms and 775 million passengers travel by this railway system annualy. Then comes the Paris railway system, which was started in 1900, is 199 kms long and a huge amount of 1191 million passengers visit it each each year.
In Tokyo, the underground railway project was inaugurated in 1927. It is 155 kms long and is used by 1927 million travellers every year. In Washignton DC this railway system opened in 1976. The route is 126 kms and 144 million passsengers visit it on yearly basis.
The Kyoto underground railway system was found in 1981, which is just 11 kms and is visited by 45 million individuals annualy. Lastly, there comes Los Angeles railway system which was introduced in 2001. It is 28 kms long and 50 million passengers travel through it each year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all the requirements of the task. You have successfully identified the main features, such as the oldest and longest system (London) and the highest passenger volume (Tokyo). You also made relevant comparisons between the cities. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the data. To reach a higher band, ensure that you avoid listing data point-by-point for every city, as this can feel like a mechanical description rather than a synthesis of the information. Focusing more on grouping the cities by their characteristics (e.g., older vs. newer systems) would enhance the analytical quality of your report.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group the data effectively. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Starting from,' 'Then comes,' and 'Lastly' to guide the reader through the information. However, the progression between sentences is sometimes a bit repetitive in structure. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and use more sophisticated referencing to avoid repeating the phrase 'railway system' so frequently. The paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the overall clarity of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have an adequate range of vocabulary to describe the data, using terms like 'inaugurated,' 'introduced,' and 'annualy.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and spelling, such as 'crowdy' (should be 'crowded'), 'annualy' (spelled 'annually'), and 'Washignton' (spelling error). The use of 'crowdy' is a non-standard collocation. To achieve a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensure correct spelling of proper nouns and common adverbs. Expanding your range of synonyms for 'system' and 'route' would also be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'We'll see that when was the underground railway system started' (incorrect word order in an indirect question) and 'despite of being' (incorrect preposition usage; should be 'despite being' or 'in spite of being'). There are also minor punctuation and article errors throughout. To improve, focus on mastering complex sentence structures like relative clauses and passive voice, and pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and prepositional phrases.
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